Long Live
by xlightafire
Summary: After a tough breakup AJ Lee has written off the idea of a summer romance. When his fiance dies tragically three years earlier, Phil Brooks vows to never fall in love again. When the two meet, will fate - and a couple friends - be able to change their minds?
1. Let's Get Outta Here

**an. **Hello FanFiction! You have no idea how much I have missed you. :) Here's a story that has been brewing in my mind for sometime now, CM Punk and AJ Lee and going to be the lead couple. Mentions of other superstars as well, we'll get to those when we get to those. This is an AU story, so be open-minded, please. Alright, enough blabbering! Here's to chapter one. :)

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_**Let's Get Outta Here**_

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"I don't know dad, spending the entire summer at the beach house alone? It won't help me get through this any easier."

"Then take Kaitlyn with you." Michael Lee pleaded with his only daughter, "Kelly, Nattie, Eve, the list can really go on and on. It's the last summer before your first year of college, and I don't want you locked up in your room thinking about Daniel for all of it."

The eighteen-year-old knew that her father was right, this summer was supposed to be the greatest of all time. Beach parties, shopping, road trips, sleep overs; whatever her friends thought of, she was sure they would do. All of those plans changed for her when her boyfriend of three years broke up with her.

The move came as a shock to everyone, especially her. Granted, she never really thought that they had what it took to last "forever". They had both been accepted to colleges on opposite sides of the country, so she knew that they would end soon. She just thought that they'd get to spend the summer as a couple at least.

His phone call the night after graduation ruined all of those thoughts. He didn't even have the guts to do it face to face. His halfhearted, _"You'll find someone else soon..." _didn't help console her in the slightest. She had loved him – part of her still did. For three years her entire world revolved around him. Some of her friends would argue that they spent far too much time together, but that never stopped them.

Now that everything she knew was gone, she didn't know what to do with herself. Friends had failed many times in their attempts to get her to go out. Without someone to hold onto, that scene just didn't fit her anymore. Even her best friend Kaitlyn couldn't drag the poor girl out of her room. Hell, she barely showed up for her own graduation party.

The summer looked like it was going to drag on and on, with just food and video games to keep her company. She was grateful that her dad saw that she was in so much pain, asking your teenage daughter to stay at a beach house five hours away? Not a risk that _any _parent should take, ever.

But she might just have to take him up on his offer.

"Well, if the girls are free for the summer then I'll go. But if not? Look forward to a summer full of chick flicks and tears."

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"Duh, we'll go! Party time!"

AJ had to hold her cell phone away from her ear as her four friends screamed into their own phones. The quintet had been on the phone for the past thirty minutes, when she heard all of them complain about the possibility of going on family vacations; she took the initiative to ask her million dollar question. Kelly said that they could take the trip in her new Range Rover, as long as everyone pitched in when it came to gas. Since they would probably have their parents credit cards, they made the promise to do just that.

They hung up with each other so that they could go convince their parents to let them go. Since they were all the only girls in their families, they were sure that their parents would allow them to do so.

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The day finally came for Kelly, Natalya, Eve, Kaitlyn and AJ to head to their home for the next two months.

Kelly packed enough for a five month stay. Make-up bags, hair accessories, designer shoes, bikinis, cut-off jeans, halter tops; every sort of clothing in the world filled up six suitcases. Natalya, she packed about half as much. Her family had traveled a lot her entire life, so she knew how to pack. She did have plans to buy many new things at little shops. She was a sucker for a good thrift store.

Eve came well equipped with all of her workout gear. Fitness was like breathing to the Latina, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would wake them at unholy hours when she made her high protein breakfasts. Kaitlyn seemed to pack more video games than actual clothing, or any other necessities. AJ knew she had picked this girl to be her best friend for a reason.

AJ packed what she felt was enough clothes to get her through the summer. What caused her to pack three more suitcases, was her inability to decide which comic books she would take. Her entire collection made the cut.

Once everyone's bags were placed neatly in the back, everyone piled into their friends vehicle. Pop music filled the girls ears as they pulled away from her house, Kelly lived a couple houses down from Daniel. She'd been trying to prepare herself for the possibility of seeing him outside or something. Although, weeks of preparation couldn't have readied her for what she saw though.

He had another girl pressed up against his car. The two were locked in a kiss, until they heard the sound of the car coming towards them. Thank God for tinted windows. They all recognized the girl he was with, _Brie Bella, _a girl who they had all thought of as a great friend to them. How could she do that? Was she the reason that Daniel left? Had he been cheating on her? What did Brie have that she didn't? Oh how she wished that she could get answers.

"Hey hey AJ. You know what they say, never trust a guy in a Hybrid."

"Nobody says that, Kaitlyn."

"Yeah, well they should! Because it's true."

"Really though, AJ," the driver said, "You deserve better and this summer, I'm sure you'll get it. Promise."

She couldn't help but smile at her friends, they always seemed to know what to say. Her heart would still ache for him, though. That she was absolutely sure of. Especially after was she just witnessed.

Feeling a warm hand come over one of her own, she turned and saw the beautiful face of Eve Torres, "It's all gonna be okay.." she mouthed. AJ smiled and nodded in agreement, before placing her head on Eve's shoulder.

Her mind kept telling her that everything _was _going to be fine. All she had to do was leave her problems here at home, and enjoy her last summer with all of her friends. She just hoped that her heart would get the message soon.

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**an. **Chapter one was so fun to write! Can't wait to get to chapter two! We'll dig into the mind of Mr. CM Punk with that one. ;)

R&R!

For those new to me, the name's Cristi and it's a pleasure to meet you. :)


	2. Shattered

**an. **Thanks for all the love on chapter one! I should point out that this story will be taking place in the fictional beach town of Andrus, Georgia. Any likenesses to actual towns in Georgia is purely coincidental. Also, the italics at the beginning of this chapter are flashbacks. That being said, let's do chapter two! :)

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**Shattered**

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_He winced in pain as the doctor applied pressure to the gash above his eye. Honestly, he was surprised that the could even feel anything at all. Everything he had ever known and loved had been violently taken away from him in the span of a few minutes. He could still hear her screams in his mind, the sound of screeching tires, shattering glass, everything played vividly in his mind over and over again. Guilt enveloped him the moment they said that she was gone._

_Alyssa Massaro, his five month pregnant fiance was gone, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back._

_He beat himself up for days after their funeral. Since he wasn't a drinker, there was no "easy way" to stop thinking about it. He should have drove that night, he would have seen that eighteen wheeler run it's stoplight. He would have been on the driver side, so he would have gotten the blunt of the hit; not her. He shouldn't have changed the radio station, then she would have been paying attention to the road, and not what music needed to be playing._

_He heard her laughter in every room of the house they shared together. He could never bring himself to put it up for sale, no matter how much it hurt him to stay there. When he wasn't at work, he'd sit in the half finished nursery and flip through old photo albums. Memories of their first date, first kiss, vacations, even movie nights; they'd all come crashing down on him. Sometimes he would contemplate ending everything, he didn't deserve to live without them._

_His sister-in-law, Ashley and her boyfriend Randy, moved into the vacant house next door to him about a month after the accident. He was grateful to have two familiar faces around the small town. Andrus, Georgia was definitely a change in pace for the "city slickers" of Saint Louis, Missouri. The two seemed to adjust just fine though, especially after opening up their tattoo shop near the beach. _

_When the tattoo shop he had been working at as an apprentice closed down to move closer to the owners home in California, Ashley and Randy graciously offered him a job with them. _

_Even though things were starting to fall together for him, he still felt the hole in his heart grow bigger and bigger. He knew that no matter what he said or did, nothing would ever complete him again._

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**Three years later, present day**

Business was unusually slow for _Tattoos and Tanlines_. Phil Brooks or Punk, as he preferred to be called, sat on a lounge chair and drew effortlessly in his drawing pad. Ashley and Randy had gone out to pick up their lunch for the day. He enjoyed his alone time, seeing that he hardly got that here at work; he was in pure bliss.

Rock music played through the speakers, as the twenty-five year old bobbed his head steadily to the beat. He heard laughter come from the vacationers who passed by the building. He was sure that at least two of the girls from the group would come in to get "inked" at some point during their stay here. Summer time was always their busiest time of the year. There were the drunk people coming in to make what would become to biggest mistake of their lives. Then there were the few that came in to get something to remember their summer here. Whatever the occasion, he always looked forward to meeting new wacked out clients.

A ringing sound brought him out of his revere, a small smile came to his face when he saw his co-workers walking in with brown bags in their hands. "Hey Punk, we brought you a Pepsi and a cheeseburger."

"Sweet." the youngest of the three placed his book on the table and walked over, "I'm starving!"

Randy nodded in agreement and walked over to his girlfriend, who was already sitting at the table eating. The blonde was, uncharacteristically, chomping away at a salad, _"She must be on one of her health kicks again..." _Punk figured. She went into those phases more time than she cared to admit. The woman reminded him of her younger sister a lot, she deserved so much credit for keeping him sane over the last few years.

"I've been thinking," she stated, "we need like, a secretary or something."

"No Ashley, we don't."

The blonde rolled her eyes at her boyfriend before she smacked him on the shoulder. "And why not? We need someone to answer the phone when we are all busy. Someone to write down all our appointments for us. Just someone to keep us organized!"

"We probably don't have the money to pay someone to do that. We've been doing great for three years, why now?"

"I don't know, maybe because _professional _shops have them," she explained, "Kat Von D has one, it just seems like a fun thing to have. Plus it's summer time, and you know that we _always _get busy and we _always _miss calls or overlap our appointments."

"Kat, is a multimillionaire, we are not."

"In Ashley's defense, we could hire an intern; you know, then we wouldn't have to pay them."

The Missouri native sighed in defeat and shrugged, "Fine. Hire your little secretary."

"Yay, thanks baby!" she leaned over and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips.

Watching the two kiss on each other, giggle, and hold onto each other made Punk sick to his stomach. He was happy for the two, no doubt, but he and Alyssa used to do the same exact things.

Even three years later, he still hadn't gotten over losing her and their baby. Alyssa was everything to him, she made every day worth living. Her smile could light up even the darkest of day. They were complete opposites of course.

While he preferred rock music, she listened to the melodious – and annoying – sounds of pop music. She hated the thought of having tattoos running all over her body. He, obviously, loved tattoos. His fiance did allow him to tattoo three little hearts on the back of her neck, to represent herself, Punk and their baby. Oh, how he missed kissing them when she laid in his arms to sleep.

He always wondered what their son would have been like. Would he have looked like his dad? Would he have his mom's blonde hair? Green or blue eyes? What would they have named him? The questions were endless, and it killed him to know that they would never be answered.

"_Maybe it's time to move on?"_

The Chicago native shook his head as if to get the mere thought of that out of his mind. Everyone says that there is one person they're meant for, well his was gone; there can't possibly be anyone else out their for him. That, he was absolutely sure of.

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**an. **Chapter two is done! Just for clarification – even though I think it's clear enough – Alyssa is Ashley's sister; that's how everyone is connected. And since there will be future mentions of her – to make Punk's story flow – I'll be tweeting a visual of her – along with others as the story progresses – over on my Twitter page for this account. (follow at: xlightafire) As always, if there are any questions, message me!

Reviews make my heart flutter, so click that button! :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_

**P.S. **Need another great story to read? Check out "What About Now" by xCelticPrincess and "Running With A Night Walker" by xyellowsubmarine. I love those stories and the people writing them! xoxo


	3. An Old Friend

**an. **Quick question, do you guys want to get into the minds of the other characters in this story (Nattie, Ashley, Randy, Kelly, Eve and Kaitlyn)? Let me know in a review! Never fear, chapter three is here! :D

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_**An Old Friend**_

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Phil Brooks leaned back in his chair and sipped gingerly on the coffee in his left hand. Oldies were playing through the speakers of the small diner he had been in for the past twenty minutes. The Chicago native was awaiting the arrival of one of his closest friends, Amy Dumas, who had come in to visit for the day. He and the red head had met many years ago during her year long stint in Chicago, Illinois.

She had gone to get away from the hectic lifestyle she had over in Atlanta. How she thought the Windy City would help, he still couldn't explain, but he was glad that she went there. The duo dated for a while, they didn't last too long after they both moved to Georgia. Upon breaking up, they promised to remain friends, and so far they had done just that.

Amy even helped him work up the nerve to talk to Alyssa for the first time. She was in college at the time, attending the University of Georgia, when he first saw her she was celebrating her twenty-first birthday. Even though he was heavily against it, Amy made him buy her a drink at the restaurant they were at. The poor girl was turned off by his long hair and tattoos, convinced that she would eventually give in, Amy kept pushing him to never give up. And he didn't, thank goodness.

She fell for his charms a few months later, and when she graduated a year later, they picked up and moved to Andrus where she would begin her photography business, and he would intern at his first tattoo shop. In his heart he knew that none of that would have happened if it weren't for Amy, that's why he cherished their friendship so much.

A gentle tap on his shoulder brought him out of his revere, when he brought his eyes up he met those of the girl that was currently on his mind. "Amy! Hey!" the tattooed man bolted up from his seat and embraced the red head in a tight hug.

She eagerly returned the gesture, it had been far too long since they had seen each other, "Phil! How have you been?"

After pulling out her seat for her, he made himself comfortable in his own chair again, "Oh you know, same 'ole same 'ole, working and such. How about you?"

"I've been busy with the band, the guitarists girlfriend had their baby today, so everyone has the week off."

"Well congratulations to him."

The red head nodded and took a drink out of her latte, "So how are things on a personal basis? Seeing anyone?"

Tracing over his fiances name on his forearm he shrugged, "I think you know the answer to that question, Ames."

She nodded sympathetically and looked out the nearby window, "It's been three years, Phil. I think it's time."

"Ya think? Because I don't think so, she was everything _to _and _for _me. There is no moving on."

She shook her head and looked over at him, "She wouldn't want you to mope around for the rest of your life. Just look at me, I've moved on!"

"First off Matt isn't dead, Adam isn't dead, that band member you were dating isn't dead, _I'm _not dead." he took a deep breath before continuing, "The point is you haven't found your soul mate, _I _have, she's gone now so it's over for me."

"If she was your soul mate, she wouldn't have..."

"Don't say it... please."

"Well you get my point, don't you?"

"Yeah. But it doesn't change the fact that I can't find anyone like her."

"Then find someone like _you_."

He shook his head feverishly at that comment, "_You _are like me Ames, and that didn't work out too well, did it?"

The two friends snickered at that, they both knew very well that Phil Brooks needed someone the opposite of him. He needed someone to balance him out, someone to keep him sane when he had every right to lose his mind.

Fine then. But you have to promise me that you won't die alone with seventy cats, okay?"

"Yeah okay, mostly because cats spike up my allergies."

"You know what I mean, Phillip. I know in my heart that there is someone out there for you, she just may not be in Andrus."

"I'm not leaving Andrus for some wild goose chase, just for the sake of love."

"You left Chicago for it!

"I left Chicago with _you_! I met Alyssa by chance, what are the odds of that happening again?"

"_Greatly _in your favor, if you'll just give it a chance."

After the friends finished their coffees and said their goodbyes, Punk made his way to his Jeep Wrangler in the back parking lot. He should have known that they would have that type of conversation, but he wasn't mad at Amy, she only wanted what was best for him. Plus, she didn't bring it up as much as other people did.

Although she was right on many different levels, he had decided long ago to never move on. Even if he did find someone that sparked interest for him, he sincerely doubted that they'd return the feeling. He had gotten lucky with Alyssa, and with his work schedule? Absolutely _no _time for "fun" things. And definitely no time to get to know anyone on that level.

He grinned to himself as he pulled out of the diners parking lot. Waving at Amy as she passed in front of him, he turned in the opposite direction towards his house. If Amy had her way, he'd be going out on a date next week. Hell, she probably had someone up her sleeve right now.

Shutting off his engine when he found his spot in his drive way, he waved at Randy who was busy carrying some groceries inside. Once he was in his own house he threw his keys on his kitchen counter. Jumping up on his counter he figured that ordering out would be a whole lot better than getting his kitchen dirty, he called one of his favorite restaurants and ordered his usual.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a picture that he and Alyssa had taken with their very first sonogram. It was truly one of the best days of his life. Walking up to the picture, he took it in his hands and placed a small kiss on it. As a small tear went down his face, he sighed, "I'm never going to forget you two, okay? I promise."

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**an. **Sorry if Punks side of the story is sounding like a broken record, I just think that it helps y'all understand everything with him. As for AJ, she'll be in chapter four, creative had nothing for her with this chapter. Oh and... how many of you think that Amy will be a factor later on down the line? :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	4. The Party

**an. **Sometime down the road I will be putting in the thoughts of the other people in this story. No worries though, they won't be heard from more than AJ and Punk, just when I feel that their thoughts will help the story progress. Hope you enjoy chapter four! :)

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_The Party_

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"Tonight's going to be so fun!"

AJ smiled halfheartedly at her blonde friend, Kelly was carefully applying mascara to her eyelashes. She had been planning this night for about a week. By placing fliers all over the small sandy town, she had orchestrated a whole party by herself. It was a piece of cake for the Homecoming Queen, who was famous for throwing parties while her parents were out of town.

Most of her money had been used to buy the alcohol, even though _BYOB _was printed on the flier in bold print. She knew that people hardly ever followed those rules. Every girl had their own personal responsibility for the night, Nattie with baked goods, Eve with sandwiches and other foods, Kaitlyn with entertainment and AJ, well she was just in charge of making sure things went smoothly. A job she had hoped to get from the beginning, the girl didn't even _want _to be at the party in the first place. But since it _was _at her house, she felt obliged to make an appearance.

Everything had pretty much been taken care of for the night, all that was left was for the guests to arrive. All the girls had gone up to their rooms to ready themselves for the festivities, all except AJ of course.

"Hon, aren't you going to go get ready?"

Gesturing to the clothes she had on she replied, "I _am_ ready."

The blonde set her make-up down and looked over at her friend, "You're kidding, right? You've been wearing that _all _day, the party's in one hour!"

"Why do I need to get dressed up for a bunch of strangers? It's not like they'll remember me tomorrow."

"AJ, it's not about _them _it's about _you_, you need to start feeling better about yourself!"

The brunette girl rolled her eyes, she knew that Kelly meant well, but AJ was never one to "dress up" in the first place. She preferred casual, jeans and a t-shirt suit her just fine. She knew that she'd feel uncomfortable in anything _but _that, especially around a bunch of people that she didn't even know.

"I _do _feel good about myself, Kel. You know I don't like dressing up anyway."

"Just please, for one night, dress up? How about that cute polka dot dress? Or the black strapless one from Spring picture day?"

AJ knew that she was on the losing side of this argument. Kelly Blank _always _got her way, yet another thing she was famous for. Giving her a frustrated nod, she pulled herself up from the bed and headed to her own room. If putting effort into her attire for the night would get the girl off of her back, she was all for it.

**Two hours later.**

The party was in full swing by the time she made her way downstairs, thankfully most everyone was outside, she wouldn't have to worry about any broken things. The house was shaking from the speakers outside, she was thankful for not having neighbors close by. They'd be kicked out by sunrise.

Finger foods lay all over one of the counters, pizza boxes her piled high on the other. Eve had obviously pushed the thought of eating healthy for the night out of her mind. Cookies, cakes, pies and other sweets lay on the dining room table. Nattie had definitely outdone herself this time, she was a wonderful baker. She knew that Kaitlyn had the entertainment part down to a tee, there was never a dull moment with her. And even if there were, the people were probably too drunk to care.

Grabbing a _Smirnoff _from the refrigerator, the teenager decided to go out and attempt to join the fun. Or at least make sure that none of her friends did anything that they would regret in the morning. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by a drunk couple attempting to pry their way into the house.

"Hey, you got any guest rooms we could use?"

"Ugh, no this is not the Holiday Inn, please take that elsewhere!"

The girl muttered a few curse words before their hormones drug them off towards some large rocks, _"Some people just have no shame" _she thought. She hoped that no one else tried to pull that stunt, she didn't think she'd get so lucky with them. Spotting Kaitlyn over by the music area, she decided to head over to ask her how everything was going so far. The blonde was well passed the buzzed state of mind, in fact if it weren't for that table, she'd face plant into the sand.

"Hey hey hey, A-Jay!"

"Kaitlyn, I would ask how you're doing... but that would be a pointless question."

Her friend giggled and swayed to the sound of _(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight_, "Yep, I'm feeling pretty good right about now. Those shots at the beginning of the party definitely helped!"

Taking a swig from her drink, she looked out to everyone standing near the fire. Kelly was surrounded by the other girls of the group, each had some sort of drink in their hand. They'd certainly condemn her for barely being on drink number one. Old AJ would be on case number three by now, but they all knew why that wasn't happening at the moment.

"There are so many... strange people you don't even realize like..."

Before the girl could finish her sentence, AJ felt a warm liquid start running down the front of her dress. She didn't even have to look down to be able to guess what it was, she was just happy that no one else was near them to witness it for themselves. There was no telling who they'd be harder on for the accident. She promptly placed her bottle on the table and grabbed the girl by the waist, "C'mon Kait, let's go get you cleaned up."

Draping an arm around her smaller friend, the girl didn't bother to put up a fight. There was no need to add any more embarrassment to the scene. The duo stumbled up the steps before walking into the air conditioned house, mumbling something about water Kaitlyn opened up the fridge and got herself a bottle. Promising to come back down to get her some much needed _Tylenol_, AJ began dragging her drunk counterpart up the staircase.

A few minutes passed before Kaitlyn got washed up and changed into some comfortable pajamas. As she was being tucked in her eyes met the dark ones of her best friend, "I'm so sorry about your dress, I'll pay for the dry cleaning, promise."

"Eh, don't worry about it, just get some rest. I'll go get your medicine so you can take it when you wake up."

The blonde smiled graciously before shifting positions in her bed and promptly closing her eyes. Without taking a second thought to go change, AJ made her way back downstairs to get the bottle of pills that she had just promised to her friend. She wasn't expecting to find anyone in the kitchen, he was a tattooed man, black hair slicked back and at the moment he was stuffing his face with pepperoni pizza.

Hearing her footsteps he slowly turned around, "Sorry I don't mean any disrespect, I'm just here to pick up my... uh, you got a little something right..." the man gestured towards his chest.

Rolling her eyes she made a face – famous among children – towards him, "Yes my friend had an accident. Now if you'll excuse me."

He raised his hands up in a mock surrender and leaned against the counter and watched her dig through the medicine cabinet. Just before he was about to say something the two people he came for, came into the room. Ashley was passed out in Randy's arms he looked like he could barely stand up himself so Punk grabbed her and placed her in his own arms, "Alright let's go party animals."

Without any sort of hesitation AJ turned around, "Um... you didn't take anything, right?"

"You're kidding, right? Let's go Randy."

"It's just.. my dad told me about..."

"About what? Guys that look like me? Don't judge a book by its cover, sweetheart."

With that he started walking towards the door, with Randy following directly behind him. AJ felt immediate guilt as she watched them leave, she had never in her life judged someone just by their looks. So why she did it this time was beyond her.

Deciding to let it go, she closed the door to the medicine cabinet and headed back upstairs to take a shower. She knew that the odds of seeing that guy again were slim to none and she wasn't about to let one more thing keep her down this vacation.

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**an. **So what did you guys think? I really hope you enjoyed it, because I really liked writing it! Reviews please make my heart happy, so leave one please? :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos! _


	5. The Morning After

**an. **Thank y'all for all the love on chapter four! It really means a lot to me, hope y'all like this chapter just as much! :)

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_The Morning After_

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The look of it was horrible, the smell, even more so. The five friends stared at it from a distance, each too afraid to pick it up and examine it more closely. The object being AJ's dress from the night before, she had thrown it on the ground when she went in for her shower. And there it was the next day, laying in the same spot; the harsh reminder of how badly both Kaitlyn and AJ's night had ended.

"That's so... I can't even explain it." Kelly said before running out of the in-suite bathroom.

"I think gross would suit this incident just fine." Eve stated.

The others nodded in agreement towards their friends statement. The scene was indeed gross, it was a surprise that everyone had contained themselves.

"I would say send it to the dry cleaners, but no one should ever have to clean that."

Just as AJ was about to reply, Kelly came running back in with a trash bag and a pair of tongs, "So whoever works up the nerve to pick it up, they don't really have to touch it."

Kaitlyn was the first to reach out towards Kelly for the supplies, when she saw all the horrified looks she received, the girl shrugged, "What? It wouldn't be fair of me to make y'all touch my, er, vomit."

"She's right... we'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes!"

After everyone left the blonde girl got down on her knees and took a deep breath, she couldn't believe that she had let herself get that far gone. She should tell herself that she'd never drink again, but she didn't like lying, especially to herself. Folding the edges of the dress towards the center, she prepared herself to place it in the bag. Just then she saw a pair of knees kneel down across from her, she looked up to meet the soft brown eyes of AJ Lee.

"I thought y'all were waiting for me downstairs?"

"I was, but I figured that I could at least hold the bag for you, just to make it a little bit easier."

The blonde smiled gratefully at her friend, she always knew when to step in and help. A few minutes later, the duo had the dress inside the bag, ready to be taken downstairs. Once they got down they were greeted by the smiles of their other friends.

"So, what are you going to do with it?" Natalya asked.

AJ shrugged and looked down at the bag, "I don't know, throw it away, I guess?"

Knowing that the dress was one of the girls favorites, all of her friends gave her questionable looks. "Are you sure? You look great in that dress girl!"

Moving her eyes over to Kelly, AJ shrugged, "I know I do, and I seriously do love the dress but... Daniel bought it for me, so maybe this is a sign?"

"Well in that case, you know where the trash can is!"

The brunette smiled weakly and started her walk towards the stainless steel can. As silly as it may sound, she was a bit scared to throw the material away. The dress meant a lot to her, it was the first real gift her ex had ever given to her. He said that he had saved up a months worth of allowance for it. She knew it was a lie of course, his parents – or mother rather – were very well off. All he had to do was ask for the money, and it was given to him without question.

Lifting up the top of the trash can, AJ threw in the bag and immediately closed the lid behind it. Was is weird to be relieved after throwing away such a thing? If this were any other object, she was sure that she'd be an emotional wreck. As attached as she was to all of her belongings, crying would have been something that was expected.

But not this time, that was a good thing right?

* * *

"So she literally asked you if you stole stuff from her house?"

"Hell yes she did, I personally think she's insane."

The three were sitting at Ashley and Randy's dining room table eating some breakfast. Punk was in charge of refreshing both of their memories, since everything past their fifth shot was a big black blur.

"If I were conscious at the time, my boot would have been in her face."

"Calm down, Bruce Lee," Randy said, "I'm sure the girl was just cautious; she's probably not used to seeing a guy... with um – how do I put this nicely – with as many tattoos as you do. Or with hair creepily slicked back, and to be honest, nobody trusts anyone wearing a yellow one-eyed bunny shirt."

The Chicago native shrugged and rolled his eyes at the smirk Randy was currently wearing, "She didn't have to accuse me of something like that; if I wanted to steal something I would have. But I like _earning _what I have. And your girlfriend bought me that shirt, so ha!"

"I get that... but the odds of her even being sober – like I'm sure Ashley wasn't when she paid for that hideous thing – are slim to none. She probably doesn't even remember who you are, or what she did."

Punk nodded and looked out the nearby window, maybe Randy was right. Why was he even bothering with the thought of this girl? She was just another uptight, obnoxious girl whose parents didn't want to deal with anymore. Part of him wanted to go back over to the house and give her a piece of his mind. It would prove to no avail since, like Randy said, she probably didn't even remember. And he didn't like to make a fool of himself too often.

Picking up everyone's plates, the man when into the kitchen and proceeded to wash them.

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" his blonde headed friend walked into the kitchen and hopped on top of one of the kitchen counters.

"I wouldn't say bothering, I just can't get it out of my mind is all."

The blonde shrugged and nudged him on the shoulder, "Then go find her, tell her how you feel about the whole situation. Just get it off your chest, I'm sure you'll feel better about the whole thing."

Shaking his head feverishly, he turned off the water faucet, dried the dishes and placed them in the cabinet opposite of them, "Naw, I'll get over it in a couple days I'm sure."

She didn't believe him for one second, he could tell just by the look she shot him. Ashley knew that when something bothered him, that he wouldn't let it go. It would continue to eat away at him, until he had no choice but to go completely crazy. And she couldn't bear to have that happen to him again.

* * *

**an. **Well there you have it! Hm... I wonder what Ashley will get herself into? :) Be sure and let me know what you thought in a review! :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	6. Scheming

**an. **I barely got my internet back up today, with it being down that gave me less distractions! So here's two updates in one day, hope you guys enjoy it. :)

* * *

_Scheming _

* * *

She was up to something, that much he could tell. The way she was twirling her hair with one finger and doodling on a napkin. Her eyes were glazed over as she looked clear past him, at the wall behind him. The girl had hardly touched the strawberry sundae she was dying for only half an hour ago.

"Earth to Ashley!"

The self-proclaimed punk princess broke out of her zone and stared into the blue eyes of her boyfriend. The same eyes that had caught her attention all those years ago, "Sorry babe, I'm just thinking."

"About what exactly?"

Ashley shrugged and put a spoonful of her almost melted treat into her mouth, "About this whole thing with Punk and that random girl from the party."

Randy sighed and hung his head for a while, "Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing needs to be forgotten? It's stupid and ridiculous."

"You think everything is stupid and ridiculous."

"Because it usually is!"

The blonde rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, "Well, it's not stupid and ridiculous to me, and probably not to Punk either, I can tell that it's bothering him."

It was Randy's turn to roll his eyes at the girl, she was seriously taking all of this too far. She didn't need to be meddling in his business all the time, Punk was fully capable of taking care of everything by himself. Randy already knew how much Punk would hate to know how much Ashley was bothering herself with the issue.

"Look, he's not even worried about that anymore; and neither should you. Just let it go."

Ashley simply nodded her response, she knew that Randy wouldn't understand. He cared for Punk just as much as she did, but in a different way. The two were the best of friends – like brothers almost –, but he wanted completely different things for Punk. He didn't see the need for him to address his issues, no matter how big or small, running away was always the best way out for Randy, it was obvious that he wanted the same for Punk.

All of that was just fine and dandy for the two to go with every now and then. But that way of life wasn't going to be a positive thing for them forever. Randy she'd work on later, Phil Brooks was the one that needed her attention at the moment.

And she knew just the person who would help her.

The summer breeze mixed with the hot sun beating down on her, put AJ Lee in the perfect position to fall asleep. Some of the girls decided to go out on the town to find the next big party spot. Eve and herself decided to stay behind and relax by the water for a while, before dinner time in a couple hours.

"Man, this feels so great... it's been too long since I've laid out."

"Ugh, I know. It's a surprise that this is the first time we've done this, in the two week we've been out here."

"Mhm, I know. Thank God we have three months out here."

All the girls started at their schools in mid-September, that gave them plenty of time to enjoy days just like this. Even though it was weeks away, AJ was already dreading the day that everyone said goodbye, she was so used to seeing them everyday since Prekindergarten. The only thing that made her a little happy, was that they all got into their first choice Universities. And they promised to keep in touch with each other, and get together every chance that came up.

"Eve, can I talk to you about something?"

"You know you can talk to me about anything, what's up?"

Taking a deep breath she looked over at her fellow Latina, "I think that I made a mistake, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind for a while."

"This isn't about the dress, is it? You did the right thing, it's the first to getting over that scumbag."

"No, nothing like that. It's something that happened at the party the other night."

The girl to her left popped up and took her large sunglasses off, "April Jeanette Lee, you didn't sleep with anyone, did you? That's a Kelly move!"

AJ mimicked her friends actions and laughed, "It's definitely nothing like that either, Eve. But thanks for the scolding anyway, but it _does _have to do with a guy."

Putting her sunglasses back on her head Eve nodded, "Oh well then, please tell your story."

AJ cleared her throat, she hadn't spoken to anyone about this; not even Kaitlyn – whom she considered to be her best friend out of the whole group. The subject had caused her to not get a good nights sleep after the ordeal, and she knew that getting it off her chest to make herself feel a little bit better.

"Well, when I went to get Kaitlyn's Tylenol, there was this guy in the kitchen. He had tattoos _everywhere_, his hair was slicked back and he was wearing the ugliest shirt I have ever seen. He made fun of what was on my dress, then a couple came in; and before they left, I sorta accused him of stealing."

"You _what_? How did he react to that one?"

She shrugged, "He told me not to judge a book by its cover."

The Latina was silent for a little bit, "Technically he's right. I mean, we'd be nowhere in this world if everyone judged Einstein by his looks and not his brain."

"Yeah I guess you're right, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Like hell there isn't! You need to find him and apologize, if only for your own peace of mind."

"You're kidding, right? I am not going to waste any of my time looking for some random guy to apologize to. He probably doesn't even remember it."

"Believe me, he remembers." The athlete rolled over on her stomach, propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at the much smaller girl, "People who are wrongly accused, don't ever forget about when it happened."

AJ shook her head, there was no way that she was going to be forced to apologize to someone she didn't know. Even though Andrus was a fairly small town, the odds of ever seeing him again were slim to none. So there was no need to worry herself about it.

* * *

"Great, so you'll be able to meet me within the next couple of days?"

Happy with the answer she received the girl smiled and hung up her iPhone. Everything was going her way at the moment, and she was sure that things would continue to do so until the whole ordeal was over with.

"Hey babe, you ready? Punk is waiting in the car."

"Yeah sure, lets go."

Planting a kiss on his lips, she smiled brightly and walked past him. Randy would surely not agree with what she was doing, but she wasn't concerned with what he thought. All she wanted to do was fix the situation.

And Ashley Massaro _always _got what she wanted.

* * *

**an. **Well there you have it! Hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm gonna start picking things up a bit, hope that's alright! Reviews make me happy, so drop one please? :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	7. Gotta Remember This

_**an. **_Sorry for taking so long with this update, I just couldn't be bothered with it. And I'm starting to get ready for school, that plus moving gives me no time at all. But here's an update, hope you enjoy it! :)

* * *

_Gotta Remember This_

* * *

The sound of Carrie Underwood's _Good Girl _played through AJ's iHome speakers. The teenager was using her downtime to brush up on some of her core subjects, she knew that she would need in University. As nerdy as it is to be studying during summer break, she knew it needed to be done. Besides, she needed a productive way to pass time before everyone went out later that night.

After finishing a math problem, she closed her notebook and leaned comfortably against her pillows. She had been thinking a lot about what Eve had told her the other day when they were laying out. In reality she knew that her friend was right, she usually always was when it came to things like this. No matter how many times the teenager begged herself not to worry about it, she did anyway. This dilemma would surely kill her if it continued like this.

She doubted that she'd ever find the guy again, but if she did? How would she go about that situation? The odds of him laughing in her face were extremely high. And she deserved it, she shouldn't of said that to him. She was raised better than that.

The question that came up the most in her mind, was if he even remembered what happened. If he didn't, then she'd just look like an idiot. And she didn't like the thought of that.

A soft knock on her door brought her out of her revere, happy for the interruption of her current thoughts, she happily told them to come in. In a couple seconds she saw Natalya standing in the doorway.

"Hey, I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Of course not, Nat. What's up?"

The blonde smiled and closed the door, "You and I haven't really had any alone time on this trip. So I was wondering, wanna streak my hair?"

The brunette smiled and nodded, grabbing a chair from her desk, she placed it next to her mirror and waited for her to sit down.

"You sure that your dad won't get mad?"

Jim Neidhart, Nattie's father, was known throughout the group – and town for that matter – as being very overprotective and tough on his only daughter. And being the sheriff of the town didn't help matters for her either, it was a miracle that she was allowed out for parties during high school.

The blonde shrugged, "He might not like it, but it doesn't matter. I'll deal with him later, yolo, right?"

AJ laughed as she mixed the dye in a small container, "I cannot believe that you just referenced Drake."

A few minutes of only hearing music passed as AJ fixed everything up for her current project, this would be the very first time in a while that she had even messed with hair. In fact the last time had been when she cut off all her brothers hair while he slept years ago. Once she parted her hair, she started streaking the pink dye through her friends blonde locks.

"So, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Natalya nodded, "I didn't think that doing absolutely nothing all day would suit me, you know how I am about always being productive. But it seems to be suiting me just fine on this trip, must be the beach. How about you?"

The brunette shrugged, "I've liked it so far, it's changed a lot since the last time my family came out here. But I guess that tends to happen when you've been gone for over five years, being here beats sitting home alone all summer though."

"You wouldn't have been alone, you know we would've been over there everyday.. or dragging you off somewhere, especially if Kelly has anything to do with it."

Kelly was the notorious party girl of the group, even if one of them was determined to not go out at any given time, the perky blonde would show up on their front step and force them to go out with her. They always ended up having a good time, so no one ever held anything against the woman.

Needless to say, AJ was lucky to have friends like the ones she had with her at the beach house. Before long AJ had finished with her friends hair, she was very pleased with how it looked, she just hoped that Natalya – and whoever else saw it – would like how it looked.

Natalya had a huge smile on her face when she looked at the finished product, "Thanks girl! It looks great! Hopefully it'll be dried and what not by the time we go out tonight."

The Canadian-born, American-born girl threw her arms around the smaller girl. AJ was the first person to befriend the girl when she was transferred to the school district in the sixth grade. In turn, it was their friendship that she cherished the most.

"No problem, girly, you know I'd do anything for you!"

After another quick hug, Natalya made her way out of the room towards her own. As AJ sat back down on the edge of her bed, a single thought ran through her mind. She knew that Nattie would always remember getting her hair streaked on this trip, even if the dye faded out by the start of her freshman year at the University of Florida. Every time she thought of it – or looked at pictures – she'd remember this place and the great times they had here.

So why not get something more... permanent? Something that would not only remind them of this trip, but also of their strong friendship. Their sisterhood, for lack of a better term. She knew just what would suffice her thoughts, she just hoped that she could get the other girls on board.

* * *

_**an. **_I seriously thought that this chapter would be longer, sorry! But I hope you liked it nonetheless, and I think that I covered enough! I'm also putting together another story, it'll be posted sometime soon. I don't know much about it yet, but I do know that Ted DiBiase is going to be the star. So if you love him, hopefully you'll love the story!

_Abrazos y besos para todos! _


	8. Shenanigans

_**an. **_Super super sorry about the delay on updating, I've been getting so caught up in life; it's been crazy! Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter seven, hope you enjoy chapter eight just as much!

* * *

_Shenanigans_

* * *

Sunday Funday.

It was the day of the week that he always found himself looking forward to. Cooking out with Randy and Ashley, along with laying next to the pool; it was always glorious and relaxing. All that happiness was quickly diminished when he looked out one of his windows and saw that neither one of their vehicles were in the driveway.

Looking at his wrist watch he saw that it was only nine AM, "Probably out buying some food." he muttered to himself.

But why would they take both of their cars?

Ashley being the "green" one in the relationship, she would make sure that they went in one vehicle. It drove Randy crazy, but he complied with her anyway; hell hath no fury like Ashley Massaro pissed off. He had learned that many years ago. Placing a cup in his Keurig coffee maker, he patiently waited for the device to brew him a pick-me-up. As the smell of coffee filled his senses, he poured himself a bowl of _Fruity Pebbles. _The cereal should hold him over until whenever his neighbors decided to show up again.

His baby sister had called him late last night to inform him that he would be an uncle in nine months. He wasn't shocked by the news, her and her boyfriend had been trying for a while to have a baby. Punk was happy for them, as one should be for anything positive in their family. His sister would be a wonderful mom, and hopefully not anything like their mother was to them.

Violet told him that she was nervous to call him, she knew how much it would probably hurt him. Understandable, and truthfully it did hurt him a little. But he wasn't going to rain on her parade. Being bitter wasn't going to help either of them at this point anyway. So he told her exactly what she wanted to hear, he was happy for her, call him for updates on the baby, send pictures, he'd help out in all the ways he could. Yadda yadda yadda.

His little sister was ecstatic, he could just tell in her voice. In his mind he imagined her running around in her condo, while her careful boyfriend tried to make her sit down.. Those two were so different, he was surprised that they lasted longer than the summer fling they had two years back. At the end of the day, they made each other happy; and that's all that mattered to him.

Upon finishing his breakfast he put the dishes in his sink to be washed later. Through his window he could see a group of dark clouds rolling in, rain this time of year wasn't necessarily uncommon; but if it happened today, it would certainly ruin things for him. Cookouts underneath a cover just weren't the same.

As he turned to walk to his living room he heard an engine shut off next door. Ashley's silver _Volvo_ was parked in it's usual spot, and there was a red _Ford F150 _pulling up behind her. He recognized the truck as Amy's, what would she be doing back in Andrus?

"Just what are you two ladies up to, huh?"

* * *

"I'm telling you guys, this is a good idea!"

"We didn't say it was a bad one, but seriously, _tattoos_? What's gotten into you?"

The group of friends were sitting at the dining room table painting their finger nails. AJ had just thrown out the idea of getting 'inked' sometime during their trip. It sounded like a good idea in her mind, what better way to remember their last summer together?

"Nothing's gotten into me, Eve. I just think that's the best way to remember our trip. The pictures we have taken will fade and wrinkle; but tattoos will last forever!"

The platinum blonde of the group shrugged her shoulders, "I'm in, but we have to really be careful with what we choose."

"Kelly is right, if we go through with this, it has to be something rather meaningful."

After a few moments of everyone thinking it over, the girls slowly started putting their hands in the middle of the table. As a routine, when they all came to an agreement, the five would do this and then proceed to throw their hands in the air. "Great, now that it's final we need to decide what and where we are gonna get them."

"I say our wrists, that's where girls usually get them at."

"Or lower back!"

"Ew, tramp stamps, just ew."

Kelly, who suggested it hung her shoulders and sighed deeply. Her friends were far more conservative than she, so she didn't really expect them to go for it anyway. But to be shut down that quickly, especially by Kaitlyn, hurt a whole lot more than it should.

"I think our wrists would be perfect, that way for professional purposes it can be covered with bulky jewelry or long sleeves." Always the business woman, Eve believed that the group would go for her suggestion and reasoning. Judging by the looks on their faces, she could tell that she was right.

* * *

_**an. **_I know that ending sucked, but I felt like it was a good place to end the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! You're reviews seriously put a smile on my face (yes, even those anons that rush me), y'all are supporting me, so I love y'all! :) Promise I won't take so long with the next update.

As always, any questions can be brought to me via message on FF, or tweeting xlightafire on Twitter. :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	9. Awkward

_**an. **_Thank you for all the love on the last chapter! Once again apologize for the shortness of it, but it was short, sweet and to the point; as this chapter will be. Promise to start making longer chapters AFTER this one, so stick with me folks. :)

**FOLLOW XLIGHTAFIRE FOR IMAGES PERTAINING TO THIS STORY! NEWLY POSTED, THE GIRLS' _HOUSE!_**

* * *

_Awkward_

* * *

If there was one thing AJ absolutely loved about Andrus, Georgia, it was the weather. While the rest of the state would drown in a heat wave, the small coastal town stayed at a nice cool seventy degrees. All the obvious credit went to the waves she was watching roll in from her balcony, they kept everything perfect.

The sound of the sliding door opening behind her brought her out of her thoughts. Within a few moments she was greeted with the fresh face of Kaitlyn. The blue eyed girl offered the brunette a soft smile and took a stance next to her.

"Wow, it's beautiful out here in the morning."

AJ smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it's so peaceful, I love it."

The two friends stood in silence for a few moments, taking in the sheer perfection of their current surroundings. Life just couldn't get any better than right now. The two were blessed beyond reason, they just never had time to fully realize it until now. As the tide slowed down for a bit, Kaitlyn cocked her head to the side and calmly broke their silence.

"So, Eve found a place to get our tattoos at. She already called in the appointment for eleven, and emailed them a copy of what we want."

"In a couple hours, that's great, I'm excited!"

"Me too! And I think the design Nattie drew up is absolutely perfect!"

And it was, simple but it had meaning behind it; and that was the number one rule for the group. Though it took them quite a while to think of what was suitable, Natalya's creativity helped solve their problems. She drew up an infinity symbol and surrounded it with four stars. Each star represented the other four in the tight knit group, a fifth star was debated but deemed unnecessary. The thought behind it would be that whenever they felt alone, they'd put their wrist over their heart; and they'd all be together again.

Cheesy, but they went with it anyway.

The idea of being separated from each other in a few short weeks was a tough pill to swallow for the friends, hopefully the tattoos would help them get by a little better.

"Yeah, I definitely think we all made the right decision on it. Thank God for Natalyas creativity, or we'd still be on the computer."

Kaitlyn laughed at the last comment, it was true though. Looking at tattoos that other people had just did nothing emotionally for them. Natalya, the art freak, did a great job of drawing it out. As simple as it looked, Kaitlyn knew that no one else would had been able to think – let alone – draw it out.

"What do you say about cooking up some breakfast? By the time everyone is up and ready, it'll already be time to head out."

The smaller of the two quickly agreed and started towards the sliding door, the smell of coffee already brewing hit her senses before she even had time to open it up. Eve was in the kitchen, caramel colored locks already in perfect curls, cut off blue jeans, and a golden tank top; the Latina looked like she was ready to turn some heads. Quite frankly, she could look the exact opposite of right now, and she'd still do it. The girl was flawless.

"Good morning, ladies! I'm so excited about today!"

"Us too! We were just talking about it actually, so what's the place we are going to?"

After taking a careful sip of her drink, Eve replied, "It's called _Tattoos and Tanlines, _it's the only shop in town. But it has rave reviews, so we should be fine. I talked to someone named Ashley, she said there is two other tattoo artists that work with her, so everything should be done at an uptempo pace."

Trusting her friends instincts, AJ poured herself a cup of coffee, then proceeded to add sugar and creamer while listening to her two friends talk about random subjects. The day looked like it was going to run rather smoothly, that she was extremely thankful for. Not too many of her days went as good as this one was starting out. Upon finishing her drink, she told the two that she was headed upstairs to get ready for their little adventure.

Once in the comfort of her own room, the petite brunette pressed _play _on her iHome and danced happily towards her closet. Yes, today would definitely be a good day.

* * *

"Ash, what time are those girls supposed to come in?"

"The girl I talked to said they'd be here around eleven or so."

The Chicago native glanced at his wrist watch and saw that eleven was only thirty minutes away. This group would be the last of their appointments for the day, for the time being anyway. The girl was gracious enough to email a photo of what they all wanted, a simple infinity symbol with four stars. The color of the stars would differ based on the girls. He just hoped that he didn't have to waste any time mixing colors together, that was always the worst.

A day or two ago, he finally found out what Amy had been doing with Ashley. It took him annoying the hell out of them to get his information; but whatever it takes, right? It turned out that they were planning for a concert on the beach in a week or so, a bit random he thought, but he was excited nonetheless. It had been too long since he had seen his best friend perform, he was sure that her and her band had improved immensely since then.

Hearing doors slam, he lifted his head and saw a black Range Rover pulled up in front of the place and girls piling out of it, "That must be them, I'll be in my room, send one of them in when they're ready."

Closing the wooden door behind him, the gentleman sat in his chair and pulled out the copy of the design Ashley had given him earlier. All that was left to do was wait for one of the girls to come in, hopefully they didn't take too long. Just as he was going to stare impatiently at his wall clock, he heard the knob of his door turning. His eyes fell upon a pretty blonde a few moments later.

Rising from his seat, he extended his hand towards the girl, "Hey there, my names Phil; but please call me Punk."

The girl simply smiled and took his hand in hers, "Hi, I'm Natalya."

While she made herself comfortable on the chair, the artist prepped up his little table and pushed his chair over towards her, "So, have you given any thought to the color of your stars?"

"Hot pink! Like the streaks in my hair."

Inwardly happy that he didn't have to mix any colors together, the man simply nodded and began assembling his gun for the project. After instructing her to sit back and relax, he grabbed her right arm and started to draw out the design on the paper. A comfortable silence fell upon the two as he worked, that was until he noticed her eyes fall upon a picture on his desk.

"She's beautiful, is that your wife?"

Glancing at the picture for a quick second he shook his head, "Fiance, well she used to be anyway."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. Did y'all break up or something?"

"Or something. She uh, passed away three years ago." Noting the expression he was given he simply shrugged, "No need for sympathy, Natalya. It's okay."

The rest of their time was spent talking about random subjects, mostly about her and her plans for life. She was a really interesting girl, had a good head on her shoulder, and a brain. Not like the usual girls that came around here. As soon as he put the finishing touches on the tattoo, he wiped the excess ink with a cloth and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright, what do you think?"

Lifting up her wrist, the blonde smiled and kicks her legs in excitement, "Oh my goodness, this is so perfect! You're amazing!"

Three awkward hugs later he started to lead her towards the door, "I'm glad that you like it so much. If there is anyone left, send them my way, would ya?"

Once he was reassured that she would do so, he closed the door and started to clean up his work area. Just as soon as he finished cleaning off his gun he heard a soft knock on his door. "Come on in!" as soon as he heard the door open and close, he continued, "Just take a seat, and I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Whoever the person was did as they were told, and within a couple minutes he had finished cleaning everything, "Alright, so my name is Phil, but you can call me... _oh_."

As soon as their eyes met, he recognized his newest client, she was the girl from the party all those weeks ago. And by the look she was giving him, she recognized him as well, she probably couldn't believe that a guy that looked like _him _could get a fairly reputable job. This was definitely going to be fun.

* * *

_**an. **_I don't think I took too long with this update, but just in case I did, I'm sorry! This weekend I'm flying out to Virginia for my sister's wedding, I won't be taking my spiral with me (at least I don't think so), the next update will happen sometime soon, promise!

What do you guys think will happen? Sorry for the cliffhanger! ;)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	10. You're Gonna Be There (part one)

_**an. **_GUYS! We've reached over 100 reviews, I cannot tell you how happy/grateful/a whole bunch of other feelings I am! All of y'all seriously rock. :) Just a heads up, the scene of this chapter will be split in two, chapter eleven will be posted sometime during the week.

* * *

_You're Gonna Be There (pt. one)_

* * *

"Everything looks perfect from over here, Ash!"

Punk, Randy, Ashley and Amy were currently at the beach setting up for the concert later that night. They had been there for at least the past two hours, since the actual set up crew didn't show; they had to rush the process a bit. Too much other stuff had to be done to make this night successful. According to the girls all the funds were going to the _Susan G. Komen _organization. From the looks of everything, they had raised quite a bit of money; and would probably get more as the night went on.

At the moment he and Randy were taking a short break while the girls decorated the stage. Randy was sipping on a cold _Corona _while he opted for a _Monster _energy drink. The day had been surprisingly bearable, with a slight breeze to keep the group from complaining about the heat.

"So, do you think those girls will actually show up tonight?"

"I'm sure there will be a lot of girls here, Randal."

The shirtless of the two shook his head, "No, those girls from the shop last week? There were like three blondes and two brunettes?"

"Oh _them_, well I would guess so. I mean they bought tickets and everything, it'd be silly of them not to show up."

Part of him hoped that the group didn't show up, having that girl within feet of him would certainly ruin his night. Tattooing her was and awkward situation in itself, they barely spoke a word the entire thirty minutes. He fought the urge to permanently "scar" her for life, unfortunately he had to remain professional.

He was more than happy to usher the group to the door once they finished paying. Natalya was almost out the door, when Ashley stopped them and told them about the concert. If looks could kill, they wouldn't be at this beach right now. The girls almost said no, noting something about a movie night at their place; until Ashley mentioned where the money would be going. Hook, line, sinker. The group happily handed over money, took their tickets and left the building.

It wasn't until the _Range Rover _pulled away from their curb that he finally let out a sigh of relief. Noting the change of his demeanor, Ashley was quick to jump on him and question him about it. So he told her, he told her about the awkward moment they just had, he told her about the way she still looked at him; _everything. _

Did the blonde apologize for the situation she had just put him in? Of course not. Instead she jumped around happily and claimed that it was all "too perfect". And Randy, the one who was usually on his side, shrugged and told him that this time would have come sooner or later.

Was he the only person who thought that this was the worst thing that could ever happen?

* * *

She was nervous. Her hands were shaking, the butterflies in her stomach were running rampant. Laying on the center of her bed, she knew that feeling this way was silly. If they had any sour feelings towards each other, they would have surely been aired the last time they saw each other, right?

With the exception of a couple words, the two hardly spoke to one another. She could tell that he had a bit of an attitude though. Given the circumstances, she understood. AJ found herself staring at the man for the majority of their session. With her judgmental ways left back at the house, the guy undoubtedly interested her.

Every tattoo on him had to have some sort of story, it would be silly of them not to. He had dark circles under his eyes, he probably didn't get a lot of sleep. Especially if he had to put up with those two party animals he had with him all the time. He also had the most beautiful pair of green eyes that she had ever seen. They were dark, and by the fine lines around them, she figured that they had seen a lot of horrible things in their lifetime.

When he turned to get the red ink in his gun for her stars, she turned her attention to everything else in his room. He had lots of pictures hanging around, mostly of him and some blonde girl. Most likely his girlfriend – opposites must really attract – she was pregnant, so the guy she accused of stealing was a father, or father-to-be. She went with the latter, since there were no pictures of a baby around.

Upon finishing her tattoo, he informed her to keep the area covered for a couple hours; just to let the ink really set in. He told her that by nightfall it would be fine. She had never seen someone so eager to get their business _out _of the door. But he was almost literally pushing them out of the door. Ashley, the only girl working there, stopped them and asked them if they'd like to buy tickets to a concert the next weekend. Once she mentioned where all the proceeds would go, the literally threw their money at her.

All of those actions brought her to today, there were only four hours remaining before the concert at the beach. The odds of actually seeing him were possibly slim to none, who said he was going to be there anyway? And even if he were, the beach was huge and the crowd was probably going to be fairly large. After a few moments of of letting it continue to bother her, she decided to let it go and make the absolute best of tonight.

Even if only for the sake of her sanity.

* * *

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, the people were starting to roll in by the groups. They all looked to be abiding by the _BYOB _rule clearly set out on the ticket. Ice chest among ice chest were being rolled in and set by wherever their owners decided to set up their areas. The air smelled of good food being cooked at the barbeque pits underneath a canopy, the cooks were quickly learning that the canopies were an extremely bad idea. It was fun for Punk to laugh at their mishaps.

Amy, after welcoming everyone to the concert and thanking them for their contributions, was well into her opening number. For the first time in a while, Punk was actually enjoying himself at a social event. He found himself talking to a lot of people that he wouldn't normally talk to. Most were just interested in all of his tattoos, the others asking about the background of the band. Once they left him alone, he made himself comfortable near the stage and began to just enjoy the music.

After a few numbers, the band took and break and walked off the stage. Amy quickly came over to him and threw her arms around him, "So, what do you think so far?"

"Everything is sounding great! And you guys got a really good turn."

The now brunette smiled and looked out at the crowd that was dispersing for the break, "Ashley told me that your girl is supposed to be here. Have you seen her?"

Punk rolled his eyes, "First off, she'd not _my _girl, and no, I haven't seen her or any of her friends around here yet."

Amy shrugged and looked over at where Randy and Ashley were standing. The couple were holding hands, looking out at the waves as they rolled in. The two were literally the most perfect couple she had ever seen, except for Phil and Alyssa of course. Oh how she longed for him to find someone like that again.

Part of her knew – purely from woman's intuition – that if he'd just give this girl a shot, she might be exactly what he needs. He had good reason to not want to be around the girl anymore, but holding grudges wasn't something he needed to be doing, he knew first hand how short life was. Amy knew that if she meddled in his love life, that he may not talk to her for a while. But she was willing to take that risk if that meant making him happy again.

* * *

_**an. **_Okay okay, I promise next chapter won't be as short! A few things to look forward to, Punk and AJ will actually interact! How will it play out? Just wait and see. ;)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	11. You're Gonna Be There (part two)

_**an. **_I believe this is record time on updating this story! I just couldn't leave y'all hanging for too long. ;) Thank you for all the love on chapter ten, now for the second part! Enjoy.

* * *

You're Gonna Be There (pt. two)

* * *

The slight chill in the air made AJ grateful that she had decided to bring her sweater to the event. There looked to be a great turnout, and the band seemed to be getting a great reception from the growing crowd. Following slightly behind her friends, she kept an eye out for one particular person. Thankfully, he was nowhere to be found. For now anyway.

Setting up their little camp space on the east end of the stage, AJ quickly went for one of the wine coolers in the ice chest. How Kelly managed to get them drinks was beyond her, the blonde didn't have a fake ID. Being drop dead gorgeous probably helped her out in that category, no one ever said no to Kelly Blank.

The music was actually really great, the teenager wasn't too keen on this genre of music; there was always room for new stuff though. The vocalist was so into the lyrics she was belting out, jumping around onstage, her long hair covering up her face half the time. It was obvious that she immensely enjoyed what she did for a living. The guys playing behind her were just as enthused to be there. It must be great to just be them at their concerts, so free and uninhibited.

Just as she was starting to really get into the music, the woman onstage told everyone that they were going to play a little game. It was simple, a battle of the sexes type thing; the winner would get a CD and other memorabilia from the band. She asked those that were interested to follow her towards the back of the stage. The girls were some of the few that decided to go and see what all the fuss would be about.

They all shared the same expression when they saw just what was waiting for them. A giant child's swimming pool, filled to the brim filled with – what looked to be – mud. This would definitely be fun for whoever decided to jump on in. After Amy explained the rules, she left the floor open to any volunteers who would be willing to give the "pit" a try. Surprisingly, no one was jumping at the shot, they probably weren't drunk enough yet.

A few moments passed before a blonde girl, whom AJ recognized as Ashley, walked over to Amy and whispered something in her ear.

"Alright, well since no one is coming up here on their own free will. I'm gonna have to pick someone myself." after twirling a strand of her hair around for a while, she turned to AJ's direction, "You, in the gray sweater, come on."

With a shocked look on her face, AJ was pushed towards the singer by her friends. Standing by the woman she was instructed to take off whatever she didn't want to get ruin, while she looked around for a male to accompany her. Once she was stripped down to only her cutoff jeans and bikini top, she waited patiently to see just who she would go up against. The look of shock quickly changed to despair when she saw just who was walking over towards them.

In his face she saw anger, not directed at her, but at Amy instead. Did the two know each other? They must have, since the two shared some rather explicit words with each other before he started to undress himself. Strangers aren't usually that harsh with each other, right?

"Of course they are..." she mumbled quietly to herself.

Amy soon began ushering the two towards the mud pit, her mind was buzzing. She could feel her body actually shaking, how was she even still standing? Amid the sounds of the crowd she could hear the positive chants coming from her friends. If only they knew who she was about to go up against.

She thought it was unnecessary to tell them just who exactly her tattoo artist was. Knowing them, they would've turned the vehicle around and made her go talk to him. That would've probably been the worst time of her life.

Upon getting inside the pool, Amy explained the rules again and then left them to "go at it". She stood there timidly watching as her opponent stared her down across the way. AJ wondered just what was going through his mind at the moment. He probably wanted to pummel her to the ground, and find a way to blow it off as an accident.

Finally, he stepped towards the center and motioned for her to come closer, "C'mon now, I'm not gonna hurt you. Lets get this over with."

She did just as she was told, just by the actions he was taking she knew that he didn't know how to react to their current situation. He put his hand on her waist and put one of his legs around one of her own, she barely heard his, "cover the back of your head", before she felt herself on the ground covered in mud. Hearing the cheers from the people, adrenaline began to pump through her small frame. With one swift movement she had him on his back with mud being thrown at his face.

Her offense didn't last very long though, sooner than she thought, he had her pinned to the ground; green eyes locked on her brown ones. Hearing the crowd count to three, he grinned at her and got up to get his arm raised. After gloating in his victory for a while he turned back to her and extended his arm to help her up. Thinking about it momentarily, she finally took it and attempted a small smile once she was in a upward position again.

"Good match... Punk, right?"

"That is correct, and thank... you're quite the firecracker." his voice was so smooth, even though she only heard it a handful of times, she loved the way it sounded, "Um, there's extra clothes for you over here.. then I'll show you where you can clean up."

She was honestly shocked with his words, but with her friends nowhere to be found, she decided to follow him.

* * *

The changing area was a few feet away from where the concert was taking place. The crowd seemed to really be enjoying the bands rendition of _Journeys "Don't Stop Believing"_. The song was a favorite of hers as well, she couldn't help but sway back and forth underneath the shower head placed outside.

Underneath the curtain she could see the feet of Punk, from the way they were angled she could tell that he was sitting down. Thankfully, he couldn't see her whole body from where he was, not that there was _anything _to see of course. She was still having a hard time understanding why he was suddenly being so nice to her. Had Amy told him to do so?

Once she was done getting all the mud off of her, she dried off, put on a dry pair of shorts and a _Luchagor _tank top, and walked out. Motioning towards the area she said, "It's all yours."

The man hopped up and grabbed his clothes, "I should only be a few minutes. You can wait if you want, or go on back to your friends; doesn't matter to me."

A mere thirty minutes ago she would have jumped at the chance to leave him. But for some reason now she wanted to stay as close to him as possible, they may not see each other ever again; and she knew that she needed to clear the air between them both. Part of her knew that this was probably only for her own good, her conscience had been killing her lately. Apologizing would be a good thing for the both of them, she was absolutely sure of this.

Well, at least she hoped she was.

As promised, a few minutes later Punk walked out from behind the curtain, wearing a top similar to hers, but in t-shirt form instead. The hair that he always had slicked back, was sticking up everywhere; a result of the towel being run through it many times. He looked surprised to find that she was still waiting there for him, he figured she'd run at first chance. Punk silently motioned back towards the concert, indicating that it was best for them to get going already.

After she grabbed her things she walked right beside him, her stomach was doing flips. She knew what that meant, it was now or never; do or die.

"Hey... I'm sorry about what I said the other night. I don't know where my head was... you didn't deserve that kind of treatment."

He stopped in his tracks once she was finished. This was the moment he had been waiting for, she brought up the incident, now it was time to pounce on her. The Chicago native had thought about the things he would say to her. He wanted to make her feel as small as she had made him feel that night. Oh, she had it coming alright.

"It's okay, I understand your reasoning behind it. I don't exactly look like the most trustworthy of people."

_Wait, what?!_

That's not was he had planned at all! No, he was supposed to be tearing into her. Their faces were supposed to be inches from each other, she was supposed to be in tears by now! Accepting her apology was not in the cards at all, he must've really lost his damn mind.

The small girl had a rather large smile on her face, things had gone better than she could have ever planned. It felt good to get that weight off her chest. Once they started walking again she could feel the tension start to ease a bit, though nothing was said anymore between the two, she could just tell that they would be okay with each other from now on.

* * *

_**an. **_Now that wasn't so hard, was it guys? Where do y'all think they'll go from here? Let me know in a review! :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	12. Carried Away

_**an. **_I'm on a roll! Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback on chapter eleven and all the previous chapters. You guys keep me going! Now for chapter twelve, enjoy! :)

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_Carried Away_

* * *

Tonight had been amazing, the concert, weather, _people_; everything just worked so perfectly.

Her entire night came together with ease, and it wasn't alcohol induced – at least not completely. All the girls mingled with the other concert goers, the band kept going on well into the night. With various renditions of old classics along with songs off their own album. Sometime during their time there, AJ befriended Ashley and Randy, she found them to be extremely nice. The love they had for each other was clear, and for some reason it made AJ so utterly happy.

She smiled at the various pictures they had taken with her iPhone, she'd definitely have to get them developed and put in a scrapbook soon. As she slid her finger across the screen to reveal more pictures. She stopped at one picture, and she couldn't help but smile; the butterflies in her stomach started to flutter around. It was a group picture, Ashley and Randy, Punk and herself.

His arm hung loosely around her shoulders, her hand resting on his knee. He had a really great smile, and his hair was still messy from earlier that day. Oddly enough, she thought that he was rather handsome. A far cry from the usual guys she found attractive, it was silly really; she had only apologized a few hours ago, and she was already liking him? The two had actually hit it off really well, it turned out that they were interested in alot of the same things.

As the last song of the night, the band played, _"Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" _by _Aerosmith_, and invited everyone to pair up. It took a little convincing on his part, but by the start of the chorus they were in each others arms near the stage. Resting her head on his chest, she felt so comfortable in his arms. It may just be the alcohol talking, but being there with him in that moment felt so right.

She kinda got lost in the music, the chorus had always hit her pretty hard, but right now it had so much more meaning. When she looked up at him his eyes averted to meet hers. She couldn't really read his expression, really only paying attention to each other for a few hours will do that to some people. He offered her a small smile, AJ wanted so desperately to know what he was thinking at that moment.

His grip tightened a bit on her waist, it wasn't possible for them to get any closer to each others bodies. She could feel the small bumps forming on the back of his neck as she ran her fingers across it. The moment felt completely right, like all of this was meant to happen. The breakup with Daniel, this trip, the tattoo, _everything_. All of it was meant to happen just for this exact moment.

Without much more thought, she felt her body start to respond to exactly what she wanted. She stood up on her tippy toes, within moments she could feel his hot breath on her face. Their foreheads were leaning against each other, her fingertips were tracing along his jawline. Just as soon as their lips were going to crash together, he pushed her away, she had just been rejected.

"I'm sorry AJ, I just can't." he cupped her face and sighed before turning and leaving her there to wonder what the hell just happened.

Giving her the only blemish on her night.

* * *

How the hell could he turn her down like that?

The opportunity was there, even if he actually didn't want to do it, he should have. But as soon as her lips got too close, something clicked inside of him. A concert, with her halfway gone, was not the correct scenario for something like that to happen. Being the sober one in the equation, he didn't want to be the one feeling any guilt about the whole situation.

He didn't even know how he got himself into that situation in the first place. All he was supposed to do was a favor for Amy and Ashley, but when he saw AJ standing there, he thought that his veins were going to explode. He hadn't cussed at Amy in years, but he felt the time was appropriate for the circumstances. Amy wasn't holding back though, she let him have it; one of the reasons why he loved her. The girl always stood her ground.

Once he set foot inside the pool, something in him changed; he didn't know what it was though. As he looked at her, he could actually see the fear in her eyes. She looked nothing like the defiant girl he had first saw a few days ago. He could tell that she didn't expect any of this when she arrived at the concert. At that point, he decided that he would go easier on her, he didn't need to give the poor girl a heart attack.

It wasn't until he pinned her down for the win, that he finally figured it out. The thoughts he was having are crazy, don't get him wrong, but they made perfectly good sense to him. In those brief moments when he was looking into her eyes, he saw an innocence that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Three years to be exact.

Everything was a blur after that, up until her apology of course. She looked so sincere, Punk always prided himself on being able to read people rather well. After being able to think it over for awhile, he figured that's why he didn't snap at her – as originally planned. She actually _did _feel bad for everything she said. It made him feel good that she had probably thought about it as much as he had.

Once she befriended Ashley and Randy, he found himself enjoying her company more and more by each passing minute. He hadn't hung on someones every word in such a long time that he almost forgot what that felt like. She was just so intriguing, the girl definitely wasn't at all what he thought she was. The fact that they could talk about comic books and video games, and she actually knew what she was talking about, blew his mind.

When she asked him to dance, he originally didn't want to, but the pouty lips and puppy dog eyes did him in. Having not danced with someone in so long, he thought that he'd be a little tense about the whole situation. And he was – at first – but once her head was on his chest, everything started to feel natural. Resting his head atop hers and gripping her waist, he couldn't help but feel complete.

During one of the choruses, she lifted her head on his chest and looked up at him. Her fingertips started running across the exposed part of his neck, making chills from there all the way down to his fingers. He started to panic when she got up on her tipp toes and rested her forehead against his own. Dancing together was one thing, it was innocent, but right now she was gearing up for something that would change things forever.

So he did the only logical thing he could think of, he pushed her away. The look on her face was one of complete and utter shock. Not knowing what else to do, he muttered something about being sorry, touched her face and turned to walk away. He regretted that action the moment he started his vehicle, but he knew that he had already broken up the chance that he had, so he just drove away.

That brought him to where he was now, in his bed staring up at his ceiling. Knowing that he was going to have a hard time getting to sleep, he took a capful of _Nyquil _the moment he got out of his shower and into his pajamas. Starting to feel the effects of the medicine he rolled over on his side and started closing his eyes. He would continue worrying about this tomorrow.

* * *

_**an. **_So what do you think? How's everything going to play out?

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	13. Patience

_**an. **_I hope I'm not clogging your inboxes with all these updates! But I do hope that you are enjoying everything that I am putting out, your responses always make me smile! :)

* * *

_Patience_

* * *

Nothing is more annoying than text alerts going off when the recipient is in a deep sleep. Of course, this is exactly how Phil Brooks was woken up the next day. Seven messages from Randy, fifteen from Ashley added with ten voicemails and just as many missed calls from the woman. He guessed that this was their special way of getting back at him for ditching them last night. Instead of checking the messages, he simply put the device on silent, rolled over to his other side and hoped to drift right back to sleep.

His plan would've worked too, if five minutes into it, someone didn't knock on his front door. He figured that if he just ignored his visitor, they would go away and come back some other time. Unfortunately, he had no such luck. Slipping on a pair of socks and a t-shirt, he scurried down the steps and headed to open up his oak door, he came face to face with his visitor.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to give me a hug?"

Frozen in place and not able to say a word, the person took initiative a ran into his arms holding him tightly. Fighting the tears back, he wrapped his arms tightly and dug his face into the fabric of her t-shirt. After their long embrace, they pulled apart and he wiped away the tears that were falling freely from her eyes.

"Violet Jacklyn Brooks, what the hell are you doing here?!"

* * *

"Has he answered anything you sent him yet?"

Disappointed with Randy's answer, Ashley angrily threw her phone to the opposite side of the couch. It was uncharacteristic of him to ignore _both _of their chances at getting in contact with him. With him not bothering to tell either of them that he was leaving last night, and in the process leaving them behind; and now this? She didn't know what to think or do.

Randy made her promise that she wouldn't go over to his house, it took alot of convincing, but she finally agreed with him. She figured that his actions must be a result of AJ sitting with them the previous night. But with the way the two interacted, she thought that he didn't have a problem with it. Hell, the duo even danced together! Something must have happened then, but since her and Randy were off in their own little world, she didn't pay any attention to them.

She was so happy that they had at least made their peace with each other. Even if nothing ever came of it, romance wise, they could probably still manage to be friends. In all her years she had never seen two complete strangers click so quickly, not even her own sister clicked that fast with Punk.

From comic books to video games, she was sure that they could go on for hours and hours, if given the proper scenario. Maybe her days as a match maker weren't quite over just yet.

* * *

Her ears were ringing, she definitely had too much to drink last night. But since that was her plan all along, so no real sense in complaining. Rolling out of her bed, slipping on a silk robe and her favorite pair of slippers, she made her way down the steps. The heavy smell of coffee and something cooking let her know that someone was already up. Surely enough, she saw Kelly messing with a pot on the stove and drinking out of a mug.

"Good morning, Kelly... how are you feeling?"

The blonde had drank her fair share of alcohol last night, she had even passed out and had to be carried everywhere thereafter. Essentially, she was the reason everyone had to come home early. Not that AJ really minded, rejection had a strange way of ruining party moods.

The blonde shrugged and turned the stove off, "I feel good, I guess. The pills I took are doing what they should."

Offering her friend a polite smile before taking a sip of her own coffee, she leaned against the counter and watched her work. Part of her felt bad for Kelly, she was definitely the most immature of the group. At an obvious disadvantage solely based on her looks, she had to prove to many people that she wasn't that way all the time. And she did, for the most part. Her biggest accomplishment was getting into _New York University_, since it was a private school, she knew that they didn't let just anyone in.

Her profession of choice was nursing, she would model on the side, solely for extra income. AJ wished nothing but the best for her friend, Kelly was headstrong and wouldn't take no for an answer. And for that, she got respect from people who cared enough to know that. All her close friends new that Kelly Blank would excel in a place like New York.

"How about you, AJ? I saw you dancing with mud man! How did it go?" Kellys signature smirk was planted on her face, the blondes bubbly personality was slowly creeping back.

"It was magical! Well, for the most part anyway."

"What do you mean? C'mon, let's go sit on the balcony."

Once everything was set out on the table, the brunette spilled the beans. Everything from the apology, to the befriending of his friends, to the dance; and of course, the rejection. She loved reading the expressions on Kellys face, she was always the greatest listener. The girl didn't know how to handle rejection, since she had never had to deal with it firsthand. But she hoped that she would still be able to help in some way.

"It sounds like he really wanted to be in that moment with you... maybe he's just not ready to go where that kiss would've surely taken you two."

Her and Kelly kept on talking about everything until the other girls started waking up. After they all ate, they made plans to go out to the store and load up on junk food and makeup their movie night from last night. A perfect way to unwind.

She knew that her days of seeing Punk were long from over, especially since she exchanged numbers with both Randy and Ashley, in hopes of getting together sometime in the future. She'd have to wait a couple days of course, she didn't want to seem too eager to be around them or anything. Nodding her head to the voice in her head, she decided that was exactly what she'd do. Wait a couple days, let things blow over and then get in contact with them.

Then, she'd be able to get herself some much needed answers.

* * *

_**an. **_I know that Punks part was super short, but I promise he'll be most of next chapter. Hope you guys look forward to getting to know his sister a little bit! Please leave a review, as they make me extremely happy. :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos! :)_


	14. Change

_**an. **_Thank you for all the feedback on my last chapter, it means a lot! Because Punk's sister is going to start playing a major role in the story, I went ahead and picked out and OC model; which can be found over on the Twitter account for this account. ( xlightafire) Enjoy chapter fourteen, please!

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_Change_

* * *

The next couple of days passed pretty quickly, with work and dealing with his hormonal sister, Phil Brooks hardly had time to breathe.

Violet had come to town to cool down a bit after her and her boyfriend had broken up. She didn't dig into the predicament too much, fearing that he'd fly out to Chicago to deal with things himself. The girl was right, of course, but since she almost literally begged him not to do so, he didn't. Had she not been pregnant, there would have surely been more of an argument from him, but he didn't want to stress her out anymore so he let it die.

He had finally talked to Ashley and Randy, Ashley was beyond angry with him. Luckily, Violet had covered up for him and saved him from hours upon hours of being yelled at by the blonde. Their talk had simmered her down enough that she invited the siblings over for hamburgers and such that evening.

Punk felt like she had something else up her sleeve, especially since she said that she would have to go across town to get something from the shop. No matter how important the trip would be, Ashley never went back to the shop after they closed up.

Violet decided to go along for the ride, so that left Randy and himself alone to work on the meal for later that night. The amount of food they were making added another reason for him to wonder about what was really going on. Did they really need fifteen patties? Randy was like a bottomless pit, but he never ate _that _much.

"Randy, who all is coming to this thing?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, Ash just told me to cook plenty."

"Hm... and you don't find it odd that she went to the shop at this hour?"

Mimicking his actions from before and adding more patties to the grill, "Nope, she said that it was something important."

Punk didn't buy a single word his friend was saying, he could just tell by his posture. He couldn't blame him for trying to keep him in the dark, Ashley must've gotten to him. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to give up on finding out just yet.

"Alright Randal, cut the bullshit... what the hell is going on here?"

Placing the lid on top of the grill, he turned on his heel and sighed, "Fine, Ashley went to go get AJ."

"She what?! No... this whole thing was a setup, wasn't it?"

"Well not really... AJ texted and we organized this thing. And since Violet is here, we decided to invite you guys too."

The Chicago native leaned against the house, he couldn't believe that he didn't see this coming. He should have known that Ashley would do something like this, she wouldn't be herself if she didn't meddle in his love life. Granted, he probably added fuel to the fire after his actions a couple nights before. Why did he have to put himself into these sorts of situations?

Hearing car doors closing, he felt his body getting jittery, "You know what Randy... I think that I might have the flu."

"Wait, what?"

Not bothering to give an answer, he simply pushed the man out of the way, and headed to the fence separating the two yards. Luckily, he made is across before the ladies made it to the backyard. He did scratch his leg against the wood when he jumped over, he could feel the little trickle of blood going down it. The wound would heal soon though, so no matter.

As he was walking up his back porch, he heard his sister ask where her brother had run off to. Whenever Randy told her, she replied that she would return to their house shortly. Whenever she did get there, Punk was in the kitchen cleaning off the blood that was already beginning to dry up.

"The flu, Phil, really?"

"It's the first thing that came to my mind, Vi."

Leaning her figure against the refrigerator, she watched her brother clean up his leg for awhile, "So spill it, why did you come running over here like a little girl?"

"I did not run like a little girl, I jumped the fence like a man."

After she shot him one of her pissed off looks, he sighed, "Fine, AJ. She's the reason I came home."

The girl gave him a confused look, "_Her_? Why? She seems really nice."

"That's just it... she's _too _nice! Like, she's so nice that you wanna be mad at her, but you can't because she's too nice."

"Well that made no sense, but okay." the blonde walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Okay bro, I'm gonna ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me, alright?"

He knew exactly what was going to come out of her mouth next. Violet had always been able to read him so well, years of only depending on each other will have that affect sooner or later. The reason he didn't want her to ask, was because if she did, he wouldn't be able to hide from his own truth anymore. Sure, with Ashley and Amy, it was easy to lie. But he had never once lied to his little sister, there was no way he could stop that trend now.

"Phil, do you like that girl?"

"Ugh, I don't know Violet... but I do know that I haven't stopped thinking about her since the first day I talked to her – no matter how unpleasant that time was."

Over the next thirty minutes he went over everything, every thought that came to his mind. How he felt when their faces were inches away from each other. Even as he was saying these things, he found himself being surprised with every word that came out of his mouth.

This wasn't the Phil Brooks he had become accustomed to for the past few years. From the look on his sisters face he knew that she was thinking the exact same thing. What he didn't know was that a few feet behind him, hiding behind a the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room, was the very girl he was talking about.

And she had just heard every single word.

* * *

_**an. **_Dun dun dun! Y'all didn't expect that, did y'all? :) Like I said, Violet's OC model will be posted on this pages Twitter account, so be sure and check that out! Looking forward to reading everyone's reviews!

_Abrazos y besos para todos! :)_


	15. Differences

_**an. **_I know I took forever with this update, I was working on a new story of mine, and I was just drawing blanks with this story... until now! :) So, please, enjoy chapter fifteen!

And FYI, this is a continuation of the day happening in chapter sixteen. If that makes any sense.

* * *

_Differences_

* * *

She hadn't meant to spy on them, she had only gone over to tell them that everything was ready next door. But the moment her name came out of his mouth she froze in her spot. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, hell even her palms were starting to sweat.

Torn between exposing herself as an eavesdropper, or having Ashley do it for her when she showed up without the siblings, she did what sounded best to her. She squeezed out of the sliding door, walked around the brick house, up to the front porch and knocked on the door. Thankfully, it was Violet that answered the door, she didn't think she could face Punk just yet. After informing the Brooks girl of dinner, she quickly hopped off the porch and headed back to the house next door.

Ashley and Randy were busying themselves with the setup of the dinner table on the patio, "Hey, are they coming?"

"Um, Violet said that they'd be here in a few." the blonde nodded and proceeded to finish getting everything together. Taking the seat she had left unoccupied a few moments ago, she decided to take the time she had right now to think about everything she had just heard.

Could he really mean all those things he had said to his sister? Granted, he didn't outright say that he really had feelings for her, but – in her opinion – he might as well should have. The way he described everything he felt made her smile a bit, the fact that he felt the same things she had felt at the concert a couple nights ago. And he was the sober one in the equation.

Where she went from here, she didn't know. If she started pushing anything with him, he'd get suspicious and he may just shut down completely. But if she didn't do anything at all, then she may just miss out on the best opportunity she's had in a while.

The only question that clouded her eager thoughts was this, where the hell was his girlfriend?

* * *

The rest of the night passed with ease, talk and laughter filled the air. Randy happily entertained his guests with stories of his very short-lived career in the _United States Marine Corps. _Ashley drank her not-so-fair share of the sweet tea that she had made for the dinner, it was a miracle that anyone else got any. Violet used every spare moment to talk about her baby, names, theme of its room and all that good stuff. AJ pitched a line in every now and then, but she mostly just listened to everyone else talk.

Punk paid attention to none of it, his mind was still reeling about everything he had said earlier. Sure, it was all true, but he still never thought he would say any of it aloud. He wasn't exactly one with his feelings or anything. The only thing that calmed him a bit was that AJ would never ever know anything about it.

According to her, she and her friends only had a few more weeks left in the beach town. So to him, there was no need for her to know any of the things going on in his mind. He knew that if he ever told her, that he'd become attached to her – regardless of her reaction to the news. That reason only further cemented his belief of why she wouldn't get to know anything.

A girl with her looks and personality was bound to have some boy back home anyway. It would be hard for him to understand why she wouldn't, she literally had everything any boy would be smart enough to find appealing. He just couldn't allow himself to be the "other guy" or "summer fling", because at the end of it all, someone would wind up hurt.

And he couldn't bear for that someone to be _him. _

* * *

"Well, I think tonight was quite successful."

"Mhm, and Punk overcame those flu-like symptoms real nice like."

Randy and Ashley were in the kitchen of their home washing dishes. After everyone said their goodbyes and AJ was driven home, this chore was a good way for them to wind down their busy day. The night had gone smoother than they had previously thought. Although AJ and Punk didn't interact as much as she thought they should have, Ashley was very pleased with it all. Especially since half of her little equation almost didn't show up.

She knew that the situation in itself was awkward, no matter how well they clicked a couple days ago. With all the alcohol involved on her part, she could have gotten with _anyone, _thankfully she chose someone who wouldn't take advantage of that. Ashley just knew that they would just happen, sooner or later.

She obviously hoped that it would happen sooner, AJ's time in this town was certainly running low. But Phil Brooks didn't like to be pushed into something he didn't want to be in. With everything he had been through, she understood. Her sister was – in his mind – his one and only love; they were soul mates to him.

Ashley knew that she needed help with this whole thing. Amy was great and all, but with her living in Atlanta most of the time she could only do so much. She didn't know how long Violet was going to be in Andrus, but she could always talk to her and see what she thought. The girl would shed a whole lot of light on her brother's love life situation, they did grow up together after all.

The guy standing next to her was stubborn, he didn't like to get involved in anyone else's personal business. Especially in their love life, that to him was sacred, and a person's deepest and most romantic thoughts should be kept to themselves. If they wanted him to know, then they would come up to him and tell them. He was such an amateur in these types of situations.

But with her many years of experience, she knew that he would give in eventually. Especially if he wanted _her _to be happy.

* * *

**_an. _**I know that I've repeatedly gave y'all short chapters, and for that I apologize. It's just that when I write it in my spiral and I reach a point where I think it's a good idea to stop, I do. I feel that if I try to add anything while I'm typing it out, it'll just screw me up and I'll have to totally change everything. So again, please accept my apologies.

What do y'all think of all three of the different takes on the AJ/Punk thing? Let me know! :) And how will Ashley make Randy give in?

Keep your response to that last question PG, Michelle. ;)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	16. Take A Chance

_**an. **_Yay, chapter sixteen! I think this will turn out to be one of my longer chapters, maybe. Randal is going to try and get through to Punk here, do you think he'll succeed?

And dearest Michelle, I tried my hardest to give you what you wanted! Hope I didn't disappoint. ;)

* * *

_Take A Chance_

* * *

"Whoa, whoa Ash... lets break."

Opening the middle window of his _Ford F250_, he then say in his backseat and leaned his head into the cool night air. Sweat was pouring down his face as he and his girlfriend had been going at it for nearly two hours. The sex between them was always full of fire and energy, but this time? This time around it was like she was reading his mind and giving him _exactly _what he desired.

Feeling his girlfriend sit in his lap, he lifted his head up and let his eyes meet hers. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, her body glistened in the moonlight. She was a damned beauty, too beautiful for her own good most times. That plus her brain made her quite the mastermind, she could fool anyone into going along with her plans.

"What's wrong Randy, losing your touch?"

He sighed as she started placing kisses on his exposed skin, "Ashley, we haven't had sex in the backseat of a vehicle in a couple months. You're lucky I'm still breathing right now."

She smiled as she heard him struggle to catch his breath. She knew that sex in the backseat was one of his favorite things, parked in a secluded place, windows rolled up, no radio. Randy got off on the silence, he loved only hearing their hard breathing and moaning.

She loved it just as much, he really came alive when they did this. He never shorted her on any surprises in his backseat. As much as she loved it though, she had an agenda behind getting him here. It took her a couple days to fully scheme out what she had to do, but it finally sunk in when he remarked about how long it had been since they did something like this. All she had to do was blow his mind and he would be putty in her hands.

She had obviously done exactly that, the poor man could barely put together a sentence. Staring at him as he leaned his head out of the open window, the moon lit up his blue eyes. The goosebumps could be felt on his skin as she ran her fingers along his skin. It almost broke her heart to have to turn this serene moment into a possible fight night.

_Almost_.

Ashley had an agenda to get to, Randy was the one person she needed in her campaign to get Punk and AJ together. He could talk to him, give him the reasons why he should give the girl a chance. The two were just too perfect for each other, granted they too were probably different in many aspects of their lives. But Ashley knew that opposites always attracted. Punk and Alyssa were a perfect example, had the accident not happened she was sure that the two would still be together and happy with their little family.

That just wasn't the case though, the accident happened and they were brought to this point in their lives. Ashley felt that AJ was also brought to this town for a reason, out of all the places she could have gone for the summer, she chose this place. The balls just needed to get rolling, and she was just the woman to do that. She just needed to get past this road block.

"Randy, can I ask you something?"

After he nodded she sighed and rested her head on his chest, he was a sucker for that, "Do you think that maybe you could help me get Punk and AJ together?"

She felt his chest rise up and fall down as he took a deep breath, "I told you that I didn't want to get involved in all of that."

"I know but I really, really need your help on this."

"Why? You know that he doesn't want to be with anyone right now."

"Only because he doesn't realize that they are too perfect for each other! You can totally help him realize that!"

When she felt him lift up his head, she did the same. She couldn't see his face, so she couldn't tell if she had reeled him in yet; she was hoping that she was though.

"If I do this and he says that he wants nothing to do with her, then you have to let this go."

Though she was happy that he was considering her preposition, the last comment he made crushed her. She had honestly never thought about Punk not being for getting together with AJ. If he had ever said so, she probably didn't listen. That tended to happen when she had her mind set on going in another direction.

Nonetheless, she nodded her head, "Okay, if this part of my plan doesn't work, I'll let it go."

"Alright, well I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I'm in."

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER**

Dust and the sounds of hammers hitting wood filled the air on an early Wednesday morning, in Randy's backyard. Punk and himself were busy putting together a dog house for the _German Shepard _puppy that Ashley insisted they get. With both her and Violet off for a shopping day in Atlanta they figured this was a perfect time to get this project done.

"Our pizza should be here in a few minutes, you wanna go ahead and break?"

The man across from him nodded and placed his hammer down, the two had been working tirelessly for the whole morning, he would welcome this break with open arms. Happily taking a seat under the nice shade of the patio he then took a nice sip of him lemonade. Randy had gone inside when he heard the doorbell go off, signaling the arrival of their lunch. He was shocked when Randy asked him to help make this dog house, though he was good at many things, building wasn't one of them.

The opening and closing of the door behind him signaled that his friend was back. Placing the pizza box on the table between them, the two eagerly opened the box and grabbed their slices. After the duo downed two pieces each, they eased back into their chairs and watched the dog they were slaving away for play with a small rope.

"So have you thought of a name for him, yet?"

"Naw, Ashley wants to come up with it; so I'm going to let her little mind reel on that."

The man next to him shrugged and nodded his head, "I'm sure she'll think of a nice unmanly name for him."

"Hey, maybe she'll name him Phil."

"Fuck you."

"Oh so sensitive, you are."

The two sat in silence for a while, just taking in the wonderful weather they were having. Punk didn't know that he was brought over her for a reason other than to help him build something. With June winding down, Ashley all but physically assaulted him into bringing up the AJ subject today. Part of him wanted to rebel against her and completely ignore the subject; but he knew he'd have to pay if he didn't _"dish the deets"_ when she got home.

"So Punk, let me ask you a question..." once he was sure that he had his attention, "What do you think about that AJ girl?"

"She's alright, I guess. Why?"

He shrugged, "I don't know, you two were pretty chummy at the concert the other night so..."

"So what? You think we're in love now or something?"

"No, that's not what I'm thinking, it might be worth a shot though, don't you think?"

"No Randal, I actually don't think so. But let me ask this, why is everyone else?"

That question stumped him, besides Ashley thinking they were perfect, he didn't know why everyone wanted these two together. Granted, there had to be a little something there. Punk had been especially closed-mouthed about the girl since that night. And the way he took off running when he found out that she was coming over a couple days later. If he didn't have some sort of feelings – whether good or bad – he wouldn't have acted that way.

"Well maybe because you haven't stopped talking about her since that party back in May. You went on and on about how nervous you were when you were giving her that tattoo, you said that you had never been so worked up in your life. You danced with her like y'all were fucking married at the concert. And they way you ran home the other day? All of those are signs that you might possibly like her."

The Chicago native hung his shoulders, he honestly didn't think Randy of all people would be able to see those things. Randy was like him, not too overly emotional and he hid things really well. Knowing that he was catching on to his actions shook him to his core. Who else could be on to him?

"Fine, I'll admit that I do like her. But nothing would ever happen for us, she's leaving like next month and I'm not going to set myself up for failure."

"You don't really believe that, do you? You're not going to fail, the only true failure would be you _not _trying and missing out on something that you really deserve."

Punk knew his friend was right, the truth was that he was just scared. He had been out of the dating game for so long that be became used to just being alone all the time. He had stopped driving himself insane with memories of Alyssa, so he figured that everything would be just fine for him. Randy's speech reminded him of the one Amy had given him all those years ago, and that led him to the happiest years of his life.

So, maybe it was worth a shot this go around too.

* * *

_**an. **_So what did y'all think? How with Punk approach AJ about going out on a date with him? And will she accept? We'll all just have to wait and find out! :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	17. The Date

_**an. **_Sorry for the delay on updating! I've been writing here and there on it, but I haven't had time to sit down and type it out. I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support! :) Hope you like chapter seventeen!

* * *

_The Date_

* * *

It had been years since he felt like this. The butterflies, sweaty palms, shortage of breath... he hadn't felt it in so long that he didn't know what to do with himself. His attire just wasn't meshing well at all, since when did he even own a plaid shirt? Don't even get him started on his hair, infinite amounts of gel wouldn't help get it to do what he wanted.

All of this for the girl.

He still couldn't believe that she had accepted his offer to go out the previous day. Hell, he nearly passed out when he heard the word 'yes' emit from her mouth. It had taken him most of the day to even work up the nerve to _call _her. Ashley had offered to do it for him, or at least see how she felt about him. But he knew that this was something he had to do on his own, the blonde couldn't hold his hand for the rest of his life.

What he did need her help with though, was what they should do on their outing. A movie wouldn't give them any time to really talk and get to know each other. A dinner at some fancy restaurant could quickly turn romantic, one at some restaurant of lesser stature would make it seem like he didn't really care. When did these things become so complicated?

So Ashley sat him down and they went through the very small list of things that AJ and himself had in common. On the top of that list was comic books. The duo had spent nearly one hour talking about their favorite past time. Each of them had their own immense list of the ones they had in their possession.

His decision was made before his friend eve left, he was going to take her to a comic store on the outskirts of Andrus. The place had a large collection and they always seemed to have some of the books that were the most hard to find. Hopefully today wouldn't be a disappointment in that area. Because if the date failed at least he'd be going home with a new treasure, little things.

Something inside of him told him that tonight would be a success though. Besides the panic going on inside of him, he trusted his instincts. No one forced him to pick up the phone and call her, he did that all on his own. He honestly believed that everything happened for a reason, he'll admit that he's still figuring it out though.

Hopefully tonight would give him some answers.

* * *

The smile had been plastered on her face since she woke up this morning. She hadn't smiled like this since her relationship with Daniel, even so, her ex-boyfriend had never made her feel _this _way. The phone call she received last night had caught her off guard, she almost didn't answer – as she didn't recognize the number. With Kaitlyn's urging, she went ahead and pressed the _accept _button.

She instantly recognized his voice when it came through her speaker. He seemed to be really struggling with what he wanted to say, she thought it was cute the way he stuttered. How could _she _even render that type of reaction from anyone?

Once he asked her if she wanted to go out later that night, she quickly agreed. When they hung up, Kaitlyn tackled her off of the bed with excitement. Then she ran off to alert the other girls in the house, with the shrieks she heard in her own room, she knew that they were just as excited as she was. With AJ talking about him non-stop since BBQ night, they knew that her feelings for him were growing at a rapid rate.

Although he didn't say what they would be doing tonight, she knew that the possibilities were endless. This was his town, so he had to know lots of fun places to go. Hell even if they just grabbed a burger and walked along the beach, she would just be happy to be in his presence.

She just hoped that she didn't make a fool of herself, she was known to do that when she got nervous. With him being a few years older than her, it added more butterflies to her already over-fluttered stomach. Would one-on-one time make him see that maybe she was too young for him?

She'd just have to wait and see.

* * *

**Later that day**

The smell of the beach in the air usually calmed him, but as he was waiting outside AJ's front door the usually relaxing scent made him weak in the knees; he felt like he was going to pass out. He'd been outside waiting for her for only about a minute, but every passing second felt like an eternity. What if she decided against going out with him? He'd given her too much time to think about this evening. Just as he was going to knock on the door for a second time, the red painted door swung open.

His person of interest was standing in the doorway, with a bright smile across her face. She was wearing a plaid shirt, cut off jeans and converse, her brown hair was pin straight and loose down her back. "Hey AJ, you ready?" Nodding her head, she yelled out to her housemates and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind her.

Getting her settled in the passenger seat, he ran over to his side of the vehicle and got himself comfortable. Starting the car, he pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road.

"So, where are we heading tonight?"

"A comic book shop on the edge of town, then I was gonna order us some food and was planning on eating at the beach. What do you think?"

She nodded her head as if to agree to his plans. Everything he said sounded like a great time, she could tell that he put a lot of thought into their outing, that definitely raised her excitement levels a bit. Remembering all the dates she went on with Daniel, frankly they were all boring. She had just been too blinded by love to really give a damn. This date was sure to be different though, he could just tell.

Once they got to the comic book store, he was the complete gentleman and opened both doors for her. It had been a long time since she had actually gone to a store, she had gotten into the habit of buying them online, just for the sake of avoiding lines. Also, the nearest one to her was nearly two hours away, despite her immense love for them, she didn't feel the need to waste gas getting there.

The smell of the place quickly made her feel comfortable, the smell of the books just made her feel right. Feeling his hand on her back, she began walking in the direction Punk was leading her in. They met a guy near the back of the store, his name tag read, Ray. He and her date shook hands, exchanged a small conversation and Ray then opened a door and gestured for them to head in.

"This is where they keep all the books they haven't put out yet, we're kinda getting first dibs. So knock yourself out." Putting his hand sheepishly in his pockets, he walked down one of the aisles and watched her closely as she did the same. He loved watching her eyes light up as she looked through the racks.

"So, how do you know about this back room anyway?"

"I, uh... a friend of mine used to work here a while back. She let me in on it, so long as I didn't post it on Facebook or something."

The girl smiled, "That was nice of her, I take it that she doesn't work here anymore?"

"Nah, she graduated college and starting working as a nurse."

His heart was starting to beat rapidly as she started asking more questions. He knew it was only a matter of time before she asked her name, or worse, if she could meet her. Alyssa was the person who used to work here. He had got her the job to help her get some extra spending money. Of course she knew nothing about comic books, so it took a while for her to pick up on things. But once she got the hang of things, she could talk about them all day long.

"Well, I've got my picks, so whenever you're ready, I'll pick up the tab and we can talk about them over burgers, yeah?"

The girl nodded her head and handed him a few books that sparked her interests, they shared a smile before he led her out of the room. While he went to the cashier to pay out, curiosity got the best of her and she walked to a wall to look at more books. She was fully enveloped in the book racks that she failed to notice Ray come and join her.

"Shame about Punk's fiance, huh?"

Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as she looked over at him, "H-his fiance? What are you talking about?"

"Oh... you didn't know. I probably shouldn't be the one to tell you."

Glancing over at Punk talking happily to the cashier, she quickly looked back at Ray, "No... please tell me."

Mimicking her actions from a while ago, he shook his head, "I can't, he's on his way over here. Let me just say that he hasn't been out with anyone in nearly four years, so you must be someone _real _special."

Before she could respond, she felt a hand on her lower back. Punk was wearing a sheepish grin on his face, holding the brown bag that contained their comic books. Extending his arm over to Ray, he shook it and said his goodbyes. Placing her hand on his arm, she walked next to him as they exited the building.

On their way to his vehicle, her mind kept reeling about what Ray had said. Or lack of what he had said rather. She didn't want to ruin the rest of their night by asking, so she knew that she'd have to wait at least until tomorrow. Ashley and Randy could look forward to seeing her face first thing in the morning.

* * *

_**an. **_What do y'all think? How will AJ react to what happened to Alyssa? Do you think Ashley and Randy will tell her, or do you think they'll make Punk tell her? Leave you're comments in a review! Hopefully I won't take too long with the next update. :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	18. Questions

_**an. **_Sorry for the delay on updating. (I'm sounding like a broken record, huh?) I'll try to update as regularly as possible before school starts on the fourteenth. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Hope y'all had a wonderful New Year. :)

* * *

_Questions_

* * *

She could feel her eyes widen, her deep breath cut short; had she really heard what she thought she had heard? If it weren't for the man sitting right next to her wearing the same expression, she would have been positive of a misinterpretation. She should have known that being woken up at seven in the morning by a knock at the door would lead to bad things. The girl across the table was nervous, putting it mildly, twiddling her thumbs on the table, biting her lips.

Why had she come to them for the answer to this question? The only one who should tell her was next door, possibly still sleeping soundly in his bed. It's not that she didn't know the answer, she just didn't feel right being the one to tell her. If she did tell and he found out, there would definitely be problems.

Alyssa was a subject that hadn't been openly discussed in so long, that she didn't know what to do. Besides small mentions of her here and there, she was never spoken of. Sometimes just the thought of her buckled her knees and brought her to tears. Her little sister meant everything to her, she was the only sibling she had. Only four years separated them, so they were extremely close.

"Um... Ashley, Randy? Am I going to get an answer, or is this just a waste of time?"

The question brought her out of her thoughts, she had been completely out of it for at least five minutes. "It's not a waste of time, honey. I just don't think that Randy and I should be the one to tell you, Phil should."

Feeling completely shut down, AJ hung her head. Punk wouldn't tell her anything, she just knew it. Why would he want to talk about someone he hadn't even mentioned before? She thought Randy and Ashley would be her surefire way to getting the answers she desired.

AJ hadn't slept at all last night, partly from the butterflies still fluttering around from the date; and partly from thinking about Alyssa. She had never suspected Punk of having a fiance, he just never seemed the type to get married; he was too much of a free spirit. Or had he become that way because of something that happened in the engagement? This was going to drive her insane.

Careless banter about the upcoming July fourth celebration filled up the rest of her visit. AJ suggested that everyone go over to her place, since it was rather secluded; they wouldn't have to be rubbing elbows with too many strange people. The couple across from her quickly agreed, it would be nice to spend the night with her and the other girls. They would still be able to see all the fireworks, but they'd be in the comfort of someone's house. It would be perfect, and AJ was sure that the other girls would be more than happy to help get it going.

After eating breakfast, AJ said her goodbyes and headed back to her home. Closing the front door after waving her off, Randy leaned against the door, "Wow, I did not expect to hear that."

His blonde girlfriend shrugged and leaned into him, "I know, I wanted so badly to tell her, but I know that it's Phil's story to tell."

"You made the right call, baby. He has to tell her, it's only a matter of time."

* * *

There was nothing sweeter than sleeping in and smelling breakfast cooking downstairs. Stretching out his still tired muscles, the tattoo artist slung his legs over the edge of his bed and proceeded to get up. His bones cracked the moment he stood up, it was a feeling he relished... after the initial pain subsided. Halfway down the stairs, he could hear the sizzling of bacon on a skillet. His sister was always the best cook, his mouth was already watering.

Once in the kitchen, he kissed his sister on the cheek and wished her a good morning. Filling up his favorite mug with coffee, he then leaned against the counter and watched his sister. Though she was only a month along with her pregnancy, he could see a small bump underneath her tank top.

"You're creeping me out staring at me like that."

Violet had turned off the stove and turned around to face him. She wore a slight grin, the same one he sometimes wore.

"I'm sorry, I was just admiring that baby bump of yours."

Grinning once again she cupped her small bump, "I'm surprised that I'm showing already, Alyssa -" cutting her sentence short after she said her name, she immediately covered her mouth, "I'm sorry."

Alyssa was still a very sore subject, her brother didn't like to speak of her. The topic of her still shook him to his core, she was gone too soon, add the fact that she was pregnant... talking about her was damn near unbearable.

"It's okay, Vi... Alyssa didn't start showing until she was three months. Maybe that just means that your baby is gonna be huge."

"Boy, I hope not! I don't even want to think of that pain!"

Well, we won't think about it then, let's eat!"

The siblings piled food on their plates, pick up their drinks and headed to the table. The sun was shining brightly through the window in the dining room, it definitely matched his mood. His date last night was a huge success. After the comic book store, they ordered burgers and ate them on a table on the beach. AJ was such a burst of sunshine, very upbeat and engaged greatly in any sort of conversation.

She talked about her dreams of being a Veterinarian. Her love of animals was clear to see, she even said that she had three dogs back home. The school of her choice was the _University of Florida_, she just loved the idea of being on her own. She talked about her family, she had an older brother serving in the military. Her dad was a very successful businessman, while her mother worked as a pediatric nurse.

It made him feel good that she trusted him enough to tell her everything. Granted, she probably just wanted to pass the time... it still made him feel good. She even mentioned some ex-boyfriend of hers, not much was said, but she did give him credit for her and her friends being in _Andrus _for the summer. That put his suspicions of her being taken to rest, whenever he wanted to try and make a move on her, she wouldn't reject him. At least he hoped not.

"So, how did your date go last night?"

"It went well, actually. I learned a lot about her... looking forward to seeing her again."

Violet nodded her head while stuffing a piece of pancake into her mouth. She was glad that he finally went out with her, Lord knows he would have driven her crazy if he hadn't. His face was just lit up when he came home last night, she didn't want to ruin his buzz so she just let him go to sleep.

"So did she learn anything about _you_?"

Bringing his eyes up to meet hers, he simply stared blankly at her. He knew what she was asking, it was something her expected to hear at some point. There was no one he'd rather get it from than his own sister.

"I'll tell her soon, Vi. Just give me time."

* * *

**_an. _**So what did y'all think? Let me know it a review, please! :)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	19. Just A Matter of Time (part one)

_**an. **_I should have had this up a long time ago, but I kept throwing away what I had written! But now I've got it. :) This chapter is going to be split up into two parts, because if I were to put it all together, y'all would be here all night reading it... we can't have that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I've cooked up for chapter nineteen. :-)

* * *

_Just A Matter of Time (part one)_

* * *

_The beach always calmed his nerves, no matter what kind of day he was having. Being there with the woman he loved more than anything just added to the effect it had on him. She was currently dancing around in the water, while he watched her from their beach towel. He loved bringing her out here with him, she just brought so much light to his life. Plus, she was great to look at._

_To think that in a few months her would be a husband and a father. His life couldn't be more perfect at the moment. And it was all thanks to her, Alyssa Massaro had changed him for the better._

"_Babe, come over here! The water feels great!"_

_Complying to her demand, he took his shirt off and started walking towards his blonde bombshell. She was turned to her left, her baby bump could be seen slightly, especially since she was a very thin girl. A red bikini made her tanned skin pop, her smile plastered on her face as it usually was._

_Wrapping his arms around her waist, he muzzled his face into her neck. Placing kisses along her jawline until he reached her lips. She was wearing cherry lip gloss, the taste made him weak in the knees. Alyssa used that to her advantage once she figured it out._

"_I love you, so much." Those words flowed out of him multiple time throughout the day. Because it was true, the woman in his arms meant everything to him. She was his angel._

"_I love you too, baby. Forever and always."_

* * *

Opening his eyes, he was met with the complete darkness in his room. Glancing at the clock next to him, he saw that it was nearing four AM. Punk had been asleep since eight PM, he didn't know why he'd fallen asleep so early. Nothing else to do, he guessed.

What he really couldn't figure out was why Alyssa was in his dream. She had been a mainstay in them for a couple years after her death, but he had gone a whole year with her not being in one. The scene in his mind threw him off even more. The two had been arguing earlier that day, over something very small. So small, in fact, that they had gotten over it not even an hour later.

So they went to the beach, to unwind. The part he didn't get to in his dream, was when they promised to only belong to each other. No matter what happened.

Since he found out about the barbeque later that night, he had decided that he would tell AJ about Alyssa. After a talk with his sister, he figured that it was time. Especially since he was developing feelings towards the teenager.

Was this dream supposed to be a sign?

* * *

She hadn't been able to sleep. Even though she had been up since seven the previous morning, her mind just wouldn't rest enough to let her slip into dreamland. She blamed a certain tattoo artist for her current predicament.

Ever since their date, and her finding out about his fiance, she just couldn't get him off her mind. It was driving her crazy to not know what happened to her, the only person that could tell her, didn't even know she knew about her. She didn't even know how he would take it. The guy would probably think she was some creeper who investigated every aspect of his life. And that probably wouldn't sit well with him.

The thought of just waiting for him to tell her, killed her. Since he hadn't brought her up on his own before, he probably never would. Hell, he probably thought it wasn't any of her business. Everything was just too crazy in her mind, right now.

She couldn't believe that _this _many changes had happened to her in the last few weeks. At the beginning of this trip she was a broken hearted teenager, now she was the same teenager hopelessly in love with a man she barely knew. A man who could be using her for all she knew.

What if she was just serving as his rebound? Or what if _he _was _hers_?

* * *

**Later that day**

With _P!NK_ blasting through their speakers, everyone was busying themselves getting ready for tonight's festivities. Kelly had drinks in the ice chest, Natalya and Kaitlyn had cakes and cookies cooling off, Eve and AJ were outside decorating with what little they had to work with. Randy and Ashley were on their way with the food, while Punk and his sister were stocking up on fireworks. Everything was going smoothly, and it had them all excited.

None more so than AJ, for obvious reasons. She was both excited and nervous for the arrival of Punk. She still had her mind on his fiance, curiosity got the best of her last night. The girl found herself on her computer, trying to find information on her. All she got out of her search was the girls first name, no picture, no last name; just a first name.

AJ felt like she hadn't even left square one.

Part of her wanted to go down to the comic book store and grill Ray until she got what she wanted. But she really didn't want to put him in that position, and she didn't want to put his relationship with Punk at any risk. So she'd just have to wait until he told her, if he ever decided to do so.

"Hey, what are you so caught up about Miss Lee?"

Looking over to her left, she saw Eve giving her a concerned look. It wouldn't hurt to tell Eve what was on her mind, she helped her with her first predicament concerning Punk, surely she could help with this one. Besides, it would be nice to hear what someone not directly involved thought.

"I found out that Punk has – or had – a fiance, the other night on our date."

A look of shock came across her friends face, "Oh my goodness, did he tell you?"

"No, some guy at the comic book store did. I know it's none of my business, but it has been bothering me ever since."

"Well, if he has some fiance stashed away somewhere, you deserve to know. Confront him."

"I can't do that!" even if she wanted to, she really couldn't. She felt that she had a good connection with him and he'd tell her when he was ready.

"April Jeanette Lee, you deserve to know. Either you confront him, or I will."

With that the confident and defiant Eve Torres strutted away, leaving a very bewildered AJ behind. She didn't really mean that, did she? She was definitely in for it now.

Once she had composed herself, the petite girl walked into the house just in time to see Randy and Ashley walking in the front door. Not seeing Punk nor his sister walk in behind them put her at ease, after what just transpired she couldn't stomach them and Eve in the same room. She'd have to make sure to keep an eye on the Latina when they got there. How Eve thought she could just confront him, blew her mind, maybe it was a mistake telling her after all.

Hugs were given to their guests before Randy went outside to fire up the grill. All the other girls went upstairs to change into their attire for tonight. Thankfully, AJ was already dressed. That left her in the kitchen with Ashley, the one person who would help her get some sort of plan going.

"Ash... I made a huge mistake," the blonde, currently stuffing her face with cookies simply rose her eyebrows, "I told Eve about his fiance, now she wants to confront him!"

When her friends demeanor made no significant changes, it was her turn to raise her brows, "That _was _wrong, wasn't it?"

The blonde shrugged, "Not exactly, he _needs _to tell you. If tonight has to be the night, then so be it. You'll find out eventually anyway, it's all just a matter of time."

Twice as dumbfounded as she was a few minutes ago, she watched the girl walk out to join her boyfriend. With Ashley firmly in Eve's side, she knew tonight wasn't going to turn out well for her at all.

* * *

_**an. **_So? What do you think?! Let me know in a review! Part two will, hopefully, be up soon!

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	20. Just A Matter of Time (part two)

_**an. **_Wow.. this was quick, huh? Inspiration just spilled out of me for this chapter, plus I couldn't just leave y'all hanging for too long! This was actually finished late last night, but I decided to wait and post it today, since I could barely keep my eyes open. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! It has a pleasant surprise ending. :)

* * *

_Just A Matter of Time (part two)_

* * *

By the time the sun started to descend, the party was already in full swing. Everyone's stomachs were full, now they were just listening to music and watching the day pass into night. They were all having a good time, except for AJ. Punk had yet to show up, no one had heard from him at all.

She didn't really know if she should be happy for sad about that fact. It could really go both ways at this point in her night. Part of her wanted to see him, she hadn't done so since their date. The other part of her wanted him to stay as far away as possible, she didn't want him to walk into this trap. She didn't want to ruin something that hadn't even truly got started.

Deciding she needed a drink to calm her nerves, the girl walked to the ice chest near the sliding door. After taking a quick swig, she noticed some headlights in the driveway. It looked like her worst fear was coming to fruition.

Downing half of her drink, she felt the nerves start to sink in. She could feel her hands starting to shake, should she run? Even if she could will herself to do so, it was too late, he and his sister were already walking towards the group. He had two large boxes in his arms, while Violet carried two small bags.

After placing them on the ground, they both said their hellos to the group. AJ received a long, tight hug from Punk... the gesture literally took her breath away. Violet offered a shorter, but equally as tight hug before she took a seat next to the fire. Punk walked over to the other man at the party and started talking to him. The butterflies were running rampant in her stomach, not even the alcohol in her hand could drown them.

This was going to be an extremely long night.

Reluctantly, she walked over to the seat in between Natalya and Violet. Natalya, who was seemingly mesmerized by the fire, broke her gaze and looked over at her. They shared a smile and a couple moments of silence before Violet piped up.

"I've heard so much about you guys, mostly you AJ, a little about you too... Natalya, right?"

The blonde nodded and extended her hand, "You must be Violet, AJ mentioned you a couple times. And I think your brother did when he gave me my tattoo, as well."

"Nice, so what are the two of you doing when you leave here?"

"Well, AJ and I are both going to the _University of Florida_. We'll be rooming together, so I'm excited!"

More than happy to let the two of them indulge in conversation, AJ excused herself and made her way to the house. A chance to freshen up would definitely make her feel better. With everyone caught up in their own little worlds, she was glad for some alone time. The balcony, in her room looked over at the beach and her friends.

AJ probably wouldn't be missed if she decided to stay up here all night. To be honest, that thought was overpowering her mind at this very moment. She knew if she went back down there, her nerves would shoot through the roof again.

Deciding to let some fresh air in, she opened her balcony's door. The cool air sent a small shiver through her body, other than that she welcomed the feeling. A small smile came across her face as the wind blew her hair all about. Any feeling of peace she had, was quickly thrown against the wind when she focused back on her friends.

Eve, who was already at a buzzed state, was walking towards Punk and Randy. Her voice, which always increased in volume when she was drunk, was clearly heard all the way on the balcony.

"Mr. Punk, I believe that _you _have a story to tell."

* * *

"_What the hell?" _that was the one thought that ran through his mind, when Eve Torres came up to him. Eve, who had her arm hanging loosely over his shoulders, apparently thought it was story time. And he was the first to have the light shine on him. Her breath smelled greatly of alcohol, a stench that made his stomach queasy.

Quick to boot his smart ass self, Punk snorted, "Is that so? And just what story is that?"

"Oh, you don't know what it's called? The title is..."

"Eve, stop!"

Before she could get anything else out, Punk sees and hears a wild AJ up on her balcony. She disappeared a split second later, to come down here, he supposed.

"What the hell is going on, Eve?"

"There is something that you need to tell AJ!"

Silence surrounded the group, Punk couldn't wrap his head around what was going on. Actually he _knew _what Eve was aiming at, he just couldn't figure out how she even found out about it. Everyone had their eyes on the two of them, Eve's glare was making him extremely uncomfortable. That was usually a feeling that was really hard to come by.

Seeing AJ come out of the house, he sighed, "You know what? I _do _have something to tell her, I was actually planning on doing so soon. Not tonight, but I might as well, huh?" extending his hand over to her, "Come for a walk with me, AJ."

After grabbing his hand, he whisked her away and they made their way towards the water. Once he was sure they were alone, he found a rock for them to sit on and did just that. Putting his head in his hands, the man let out a long slow breath. Tonight definitely was not when he planning on telling her.

Feeling her hand on his back, he picked his head up and looked over at her, "You don't have to do this tonight, you know that right?"

He nodded his head and put a hand on her knee, "I know that, AJ. But if I don't do this now, I'll never do it. It was just a matter of time, right?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took her hands in his and readied himself for what he was about to say. He knew that once everything was out in the open, the ball was going to undoubtedly be in her court. Whatever was to happen between them, was completely up to her.

"Alright, here goes nothing... I had a fiance, a fiance that – to this day – I still love." when he felt her start to pull away he grabbed onto her tighter, "Please, hear me out."

Though reluctant, the girl nodded and he continued, "I still love her and if she were here today, I wouldn't even be talking to you."

"I don't understand, Phil, where is she?"

Feeling himself getting antsy, Punk stood up and walked around. He desperately wanted to run, to nowhere in particular, just anywhere to get away from this place. But he couldn't stop now.

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "She passed away in a car accident three years ago. I've never gotten over it, hell I've never had to directly deal with it. Then you come along and fuck with my emotions."

With the darkness around them, he couldn't see her reaction to all of this, "Say something, please."

* * *

She was frozen in shock, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined hearing _that_. All this time she was expecting him to say something along the line of the woman being at home all the time, and he was just out for a good time. She had a reaction set up for that story, not so much for this one.

Everything was such a blur at this point, she didn't know what to think. Though she badly wanted to gather them and get a good sentence together, she didn't want to take too much more time. He might not like that too much, especially since he had just poured his heart out to her.

But what was she supposed to say?

"If you don't sat something _right now_, I will leave here and _never _come back."

"Can you just give me minute to process this, please?"

After she felt she was strong enough to get something going, she stood up and walked over to him. Taking his hands in hers, she offered a sympathetic smile. One which she wasn't sure he saw or not.

"Punk, I'm not sure what to make of all this. At this point I have no idea what to do or say, because after what you just shared... I'm not sure that it would be right thing to say."

Feeling his hands on her waist, she closed the small gap between them. His head rested on her forehead, "I don't know where we are supposed to go from here. The may – or may not be – a good idea, but I'm willing to give this, _us_, a shot. If you'll have me, that is."

She was with him on not knowing if this was a good idea. Especially with her leaving in a few weeks, she decided that they'd cross that bridge when they got there. For now? She was ready and willing to go on this ride.

"I'm in Phil... I'm in."

* * *

_**an. **_It's about damn time, right?! Haha, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, because I enjoyed writing it oh so much. So leave a review, please! :-) Oh, and we broke 200 reviews on the last chapter! That makes me so happy... y'all are enjoying what I'm putting out and I'm beyond ecstatic!

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	21. Flowers

_**an. **_Chapter twenty-one! Sorry it took me so long, I was getting caught up on homework, so I could have extra time to work on my writing! And don't even get me started on my work schedule, but I will say that I think it's time to start looking for another job. :$ Anyway, I cried whilst writing this chapter, it was just so emotional for me to write. If you shed a tear, I'm sorry. You're gonna see a very vulnerable side to Punk here, hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_Flowers_

* * *

Last night was crazy, and that was putting it mildly. He hadn't been able to sleep at all afterwards, hell he didn't even go home. Nope, instead he wondered along the beach long after everyone had called it a night. Though highly unplanned, everything had gone extremely well with AJ. He still wished that he was able to tell her when _he _was ready though.

But whatever, all that mattered now is that it was said, and they could start trying to build something together.

Being up as long as he was gave him loads of time to think about everything. At twenty-five he knew what he wanted, everything he would have had with Alyssa, was what he wanted right now. A family, career, a beautiful woman to come home to... just _something _to look forward to every day. Even though that life was far from happening at this point, he hoped that it wouldn't wait too long.

With all this sense of happiness and fulfillment, came a crushing blow; guilt. The dream he had a few nights ago kept replaying in his mind, even more so after last night. He knew that he was breaking a promise, one that he was sure would never be broken. As silly as some people might think it was, he couldn't help but feel like he was letting Alyssa down.

He just knew she was looking down on him with utter disbelief. How could he do that to her? Especially after staying true to his word after all this time.

He still loved her, though, no matter what. She had to understand that he was doing this for the both of them. So that they could both finally be at peace. The Alyssa he knew and loved really wouldn't want him to be down and out for the rest of his life.

Many people would think he was crazy, but he had it in his mind to ask her permission. He had a bouquet of daisies, he favorite flower, in his passenger seat; en route to the cemetery. If anything it would do him good to just sit and air out his thoughts, she was always such a good listener anyway. Maybe she'd give him some sort of sign, whether good or bad, he would just figure it out.

Parking his _Chevy Avalanche _in the cemeteries parking lot upon arrival, he grabbed the flowers, locked his doors and walked inside the gated area. Though it was far enough away from the water, he could still hear the waves crashing against each other. Other than that everything was peaceful, no breeze, but the weather was always cool in this town.

After five minutes he finally got to where he needed to be. A light pink, granite, heart shaped stone. It was lined off with a white picket fence, just like she wanted at the house. One of the projects he never got to, until she was gone. Placing the flowers in an empty vase, he then made himself comfortable on the bench opposite the headstone.

It had been a while since he'd been here, he felt horrible for it. He just got caught up in life, he supposed.

_**Alyssa Michelle Massaro  
**__**May 15, 1988 – August 15, 2008  
**__**Beloved daughter, sister, friend, fiance and mother  
**__**May she rest in peace**_

Below that one, lay a smaller headstone made for the baby that they lost in the accident as well.

_**Baby Brooks  
**__**Though we never met, I loved you. Though I never held you, you warmed my heart. Though you never spoke, your voice overpowers my thoughts. Though I'll never see you, you'll guide me through my life. Though you never walked this earth, you can now fly over it forever. You never got to really hear it, but daddy loves you so much. Fly high, angel.**_

Reading the words he wrote three years ago, brought tears to his eyes. So much emotion had gone into it, writing his feelings helped keep him from ding harmful things to himself. It was Ashley's idea to engrave it in the headstone, since, besides the name, it would be blank.

The service itself was extremely emotional, it was an unusually rainy day. Fit everyone's moods perfectly. The preacher said his final blessing, shook holy water and proceeded to lay the coffin in the ground. While he wasn't greatly religious, Alyssa's parents were though, letting them organize the service was the least he could do. He was sure they would have talked him into doing so anyway.

Wiping his eyes and momentarily wiping away the memories, he cleared his throat, there were things he needed to get done.

"Alyssa, sorry it has been so long... I just, well you've probably seen what I've been up to."

A couple deep breaths later, he continued, "I know this is silly, and you'd probably slap me if I was doing with anyone else. But this just feels right for me."

"I know that we promised that we'd always belong to each other, no matter what. And I stayed true to that promise for almost four years now. And then _she _came along, AJ Lee."

She's lightened up my world, made me see what it was like to truly live. For the first time in such a long time I'm happy again. She made me feel like, she made me feel... like _you _used to."

After the last few words came out of his mouth, he finally understood everything. Every encounter he ever had with AJ, almost matched every encounter he had with Alyssa before they became a "thing". Maybe in some weird way, Alyssa sent AJ here to change everything. To finally get him back to the man he needed to be. To the man he _used _to be.

Standing up and walking over to the headstone, he knelt down and placed a kiss on it, "Always looking out for me, thank you. Kiss that baby of ours for me, I love the both of you so much."

* * *

_**an. **_So what did you guys think? I think now Punk can really move on and start really trying to build something with AJ... and next chapter we'll get to AJ and how she is handling the whole situation. Leave me a review and let me know how you feel about it. :) Also, I'm starting to start look into when this story is going to end... we're almost there!

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	22. Future

_**Sorry for the delay, I worked all week, didn't have time to write. Hope y'all like this chapter, enjoy what's left of Spring Break!**_

* * *

_Future_

* * *

None of this felt real, all of it had to be a dream. A very good one at that. The events of last night played in her mind over and over again. How open and vulnerable he had been in those few moments, it still tugged at her heart strings.

The way they held each other after he laid it all on the line, there weren't any butterflies or nerves on her part, she was completely at peace. She wanted to kiss him in the worst way at that point, but she didn't want to ruin the perfect moment in any way. Their first kiss would come soon enough, she'd just have to be patient and wait for it.

A little after they both regained their composure, they walked – hand in hand – back to the fire. The group was understandably somber, with small conversation going on between a couple of them. Eve, was passed out on the ground, with her head in Kelly's lap. Poor girl, she just wasn't in control of her actions when she drank. She'd certainly feel bad when she sobered up.

Punk had to leave an hour later, his sister was starting to get restless. And they both decided that it was best to get the other two home before they passed out on the sand. Everyone decided to head in after they left, of course it took a while to get both Eve and Kelly – who had since passed out – inside. But once everything and everyone was settled, AJ was left to clean up the kitchen a little bit.

Justin Timberlake's new album played through her iPhone's speaker, the catchy beat had her dancing as she washed the few dishes in the sink. The time on the digital clock above her read 2:30, even with it being extremely late, the young girl was full of energy at the moment. She didn't want this night to end, she should have asked them to stay, they had the guest house out back anyway. But it was too late for that, he was probably tucked away in his bed by now.

Was he thinking of her? She sure hoped so.

Where were they supposed to go from here? AJ didn't want to move too fast, even though she didn't have very much more time here. Six more weeks, to be exact. Since this wasn't a Nicholas Sparks novel, she knew it would take a lot longer than that to get something serious between them.

So many things needed to be taken into account for them. She was his first love interest in his life since his fiancé, that was putting a whole lot of pressure on her. One screw up and he could rebuild his wall and never bring it down again.

Though she hardly considered herself in distress, Daniel definitely left her hurt. Punk was different, like on the other end of the spectrum, from her ex. He was older, more mature, he knew what he wanted and he went for it. She just hoped that he didn't expect too much from her so soon, she was still a teenager after all. A lot of things needed to be accomplished on her end, before she was ready to settle into the life Punk was used to.

Why the hell was she even looking that far into their future already?

He seemed to the type to want to take things slow, given his history, she understood. With the way he talked about his fiancé, he was still not over her. It would be _she _that would have to control her feelings, go with his pace, as to not scare him off.

AJ still wasn't over first boyfriend, dating for almost four years, it was hard for her to put it all behind her in a matter of months. Even though he had done just that with so much ease, she shouldn't be hooked on him anymore. She knew that she would be though, possibly for a while, he was her first love. They say you never forget those, even if your brain does, your heart doesn't.

She knew her days with Daniel were long gone, she now had something to look forward to with Phil. She may only have a few weeks left in this town, but she was definitely going to make the most of it.

* * *

_**So that was extremely short, I didn't plan for it to be. But it seems like a good place to stop anyway, hope you enjoyed it! I'll try not to space updates so far apart.**_

___Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	23. What Now?

_**I'm very pleased with this chapter, hope y'all are too!**_

**xXx**

_What Now?_

**xXx**

"I don't know man, she's just been acting different and it's creeping me out."

Punk and Randy were at the shop, taking inventory from their latest shipment. Ashley, was home recovering from flu-like symptoms. Music from their mutual favorite band _Metallica _played over their speakers.

Randy had been letting Punk in on the changes he had noticed in his girlfriend. The way he described them, the changes seemed quite drastic, even for Ashley. But Punk was willing to give credit to the sickness she was fighting off, her medications were probably messing with her mind.

"I'm sure it's just the meds messing with her, she'll be back to herself soon enough."

"No, she's been this way before the meds. Something's up and she's not saying anything to me."

Putting a box on a nearby table, Punk turned to look at his friend, "If you want, I can talk to her… she what's up."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks."

After the duo finished with their work a couple hours later, they went their separate ways after they said goodbye to each other. With Punk promising to stop by later to try and get something out of Ashley. For now, he had some other plans, plans involving a certain girl in a beach house across town. He had texted her earlier to let her know to be expecting him sometime in the afternoon.

There weren't really any plans he had for them today. Just a talk, now that they both knew of their mutual feelings for each other, they needed to figure out where to go now.

Her impending leave from this town had been looming in his mind for the past three days. Not seeing her for the past two were hard on him, but his sister needed him to take her to Atlanta for a check-up. She was his priority, so he did what needed to be done. It wasn't like he completely ignored her though, they kept in contact by way of phone calls or text messages. The fact that she was so optimistic about them, made him extremely happy.

Climbing into his _Avalanche_, he turned onto the street and headed in the direction of her house. The breeze that was coming through his opened windows almost made him wish that he had a convertible. It could be a worthy investment. He could just imagine AJ sitting in his passenger seat, with the beautiful brown hair flowing in the wind. That girl would be the perfect co-pilot on any trip, hell she'd probably make a trip to the dentist worthwhile.

A few minutes later he found himself pulling into her driveway and parking next to the _Range Rover _there. Today would be a good day.

**xXx**

"OH MY GOODNESS GIRL, HE'S HERE!"

AJ watched from her spot on the couch, as her friends creepily looked at Punk out the window. All four of them had been there for the better part of the afternoon, awaiting his arrival. It was actually quite entertaining to see them like this, they were like giddy little school girls. This was one of the many reasons why she loved them. They were genuinely happy for her, she appreciated that so much.

AJ was so excited to finally see him, these three days seemed to have dragged by without her doing so. Thank goodness for cell phones. They talked to each other the whole time he was in Atlanta with his sister. He had such an amazing outlook on everything, he could make the most boring topics interesting, just with how he explained things.

He seemed genuinely interested to find out things about her. She felt like she could be completely honest with him, there were definitely no skeletons in the closet. He loved her obsession with putting some sort of smiley face on each of her text messages. The fact that he sent 'good morning' messages just sealed the deal. As simple as they may be, she loved receiving them. They made her feel extremely special.

A hard knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts, she had to hold back laughter when she saw Natalya and Kaitlyn hold Kelly back, allowing AJ to be the one that answered. When she did, she met his smiling face on the other side. After they embraced for a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a _Blow Pop_.

"You said they were your favorite, so I got you one."

"Aw, that was really sweet of you! Come on in."

Once he was inside, he waved at the girls, who were still standing by the window. After all the hellos were said, the other girls decided to leave them alone and headed upstairs. Once alone, she told him to make himself comfortable while she went to fetch them a glass of lemonade.

When she came back in the room, she found him doing just that. Feet reclined up and flipping through a tabloid that was left on the couch.

"Yeesh, those Kardashians are just a mess, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess they are but for some reason everyone seems to love them, here's your lemonade."

He smiled and graciously took the drink from her. After taking a sip, he placed the glass on a coaster and looked over at her, "So, how have you been these past couple of days?"

"Oh I've been fine." _Just missing you_. "How about you? How did Violet's appointment go?"

'Everything went well, she's got a little boy cooking in the oven."

"A boy? That's great! I bet she's excited."

"Yeah, she's looking forward to it."

Moments passed before they changed the subject, she could tell that Phil was proud to become an uncle. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about the unborn child, made her smile.

"Alright AJ, I think you know what topic we have to cover today."

Sighing, she pushed a piece of her hair out of her eyes and looked over at him, "Yeah, I know."

"I don't want to put any pressure on us, but you know, you're only here for a short time, and…"

"…you're taking a leap of faith with me." She finished his sentence for him. Or at least what she thought he was going to say.

"Well, if you want to put it that way, yeah."

Reaching her hand over to grab onto his, "I know I'm a big risk for you, but I promise that I can make this worth it."

"I have no doubt that you can, but I am terrified of what'll happen with us. _Especially _with you leaving in six weeks."

She watched as he hung his head, the pain was etched in his face. She didn't know what to do or say at this point, nothing could possibly console him. At least she didn't think there was. He had really put himself out on the line for her. It was up to her to prove to him that she was worth it. Even if it _was _only for six weeks.

"You listen to me Phil Brooks, we're going to do this. I'm going to make this, _us_, worth it."

**xXx**

_**So what did y'all think? I hope everyone liked it! I was so inspired to write it and it looks to be longer than my last, so that makes me happy! Leave a review and tell me your thoughts! What do y'all think is going on with Miss Ashley?**_

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


	24. How Do We Do This?

**an. **I feel like a broken record, apologizing for all the delays in updating. But, I decided to give 100% of my effort to my school, and it paid off! All A's and B's. Now the only schedule I have to work around is my work schedule, so I _should _be updating more frequently. Hope y'all like this chapter!

**xXx**

_How Do We Do This? _

**xXx**

There was nothing more perfect to AJ than waking up from a nap, with her head on Punk's chest. With his heart beating steadily in her ear, she felt completely at peace. The television screen showed the main menu from _Resident Evil_, their movie of choice for the afternoon. They must've fallen asleep halfway through the show.

Stretching her arms upward, she glanced at the digital clock above the TV, it read 6:30. Seeing that Punk was still sound asleep, she quietly got up and made her way to the kitchen. Out of the window she saw her friends outside playing two-on-two volleyball. She was never one for the sport – though she was fairly good at it – she preferred softball.

"There you are, was worried that you ditched me in this mansion of yours."

"No, I'd never do that. I just didn't want to wake you."

He shot her a crooked smile, "Thanks for that, I get cranky when I get woken up."

She laughed, "That's good to know… do you wanna stay for dinner or something?"

"Geez, I'd love to, but I gotta head over to Randal's. He needs me to talk to Ashley for him."

"Oh, is everything alright with them?" though she didn't know the couple all too well, she knew that they were amazing people. She looked forward to getting closer to them, since they were with Punk all the time, she knew they could tell him everything she needed to know… if Punk ever tried to keep anything from her.

"Oh yeah, she's just been sick, but won't tell him what's wrong, he's hoping that she'll tell me."

"Oh… could I come?"

"Sure, why not. I'm sure it's nothing more than just a simple bug, she'd be happy to see you."

"Okay… just let me go tell the girls."

After telling the girls where she would be for a couple hours, she walked out to Punk who was waiting by his truck. Once they were settled, he pulled out of her driveway and headed down the road. The weather outside was absolutely perfect, warm enough, but also with a slight breeze to keep everyone from melting.

She watched Punk as he drummed his fingers along his steering wheel, to the drums in the song playing over his speakers. He had such a relaxing energy about him, out of the short time she knew him, she knew that's what she liked the most about him.

Though a few hours ago she was confident about this relationships chances, her leaving soon weighed heavily on her mind. What would happen to them when she did so? Would they be able to pick up and move on as if nothing happened? She highly doubted so. They were both taking chances with each other, she needed to make it worth it.

Would it be hasty to ask him to follow her to Florida? It wouldn't hurt to try, at least for a couple months, just to give them a concrete chance. What if he turned around and asked her to bypass her first semester, and stay with him? She wouldn't think twice of it, though her parents wouldn't approve of it at all.

Those were things that needed to be discussed, just not today. Especially since they were already in front of Randy and Ashley's two-story home. Being the gentleman he was, Punk ran over to her side and opened the door for her. After closing it, he grabbed her hand and began leading her to the front door.

Instead of knocking, he instead, just walked in. The first thing they saw was Randy sitting on his couch, watching TV. Empty beer cans and a few dirty dishes laying in the seats next to him. He looked like a complete wreck.

"Randy, buddy, you okay?"

"Do I look okay? Ashley is locked in the room, she won't come out and she won't let me in. I don't fucking know what to do!"

"Okay, okay, AJ, can you go upstairs and see if she'll let you in? I don't want to leave him alone."

"Yeah, sure."

After giving the guys one last look, she turned and ran up the stairs. Getting to the only closed door, she wiggled the doorknob. Finding it still locked she knocked softly on the door, "Hey Ash, it's me AJ… will you let me in?"

A few moments passed before she heard someone messing with the lock on the other side. When the door opened, she was shocked by what she saw. A badly disheveled Ashley stood on the other side. Wearing pajama pants, and looked to be one of Randy's t-shirt. Her hair was a mess, eyes blood shot red with dark circles surrounding them.

The room was just as horrific to look at. Clothes all over the floor, food rotting away on plates, multiple cups – still half-full – on her dressers.

"Ashley, sweetheart, what's going on here?"

"Come in and close the door, please."

Doing just that, AJ then followed her to the bed, where they both took a seat. Silence surrounded the duo for a few good minutes. AJ just didn't know where to even start, she needed to know what was going on to be able to get anything going.

Sniffling from her counterpart caused her to focus back on Ashley. The blonde was shaking, tears running down her face.

"Baby girl, what's going on? I'm here for you, but you _need _to talk to me!"

"I've ruined everything, AJ, _everything_!"

"What do you mean? I'm sure you're just overreacting."

"No, no. We said we never would… and I missed my pill… and now it's all over! He's gonna leave me, AJ! He's… gonna… leave… me…"

The blonde fell into AJ's arms and continued to break down. She didn't understand how this could be a bad thing for them. Ashley and Randy seemed the perfect couple for children. But with this reaction, she wasn't sure what to do about the situation.

"It's okay Ashley, we'll get through this. Trust me."

How they would do so, she didn't know just yet.

**xXx**

**an. **So what did you guys think? What will Randy have to say about everything? Let me know in a review! =)

_Abrazos y besos para todos!_


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